


Along Came Mac

by PhoenixDXS



Series: Along Came Mac [1]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Friendship, Love Triangle, Romance, slowburn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 16:41:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 35,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28798539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixDXS/pseuds/PhoenixDXS
Summary: Codex has been defeated, the team have found a working rhythm again and Mac & Desi have worked things out (Post 5x03). Riley decides to be happy for Mac and tries to move on, however it seems that Angus MacGyver may be a lot harder to shake off than she first thought.
Relationships: Macriley - Relationship, Riley Davis & Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Riley Davis/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Ziley - Relationship
Series: Along Came Mac [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2156418
Comments: 197
Kudos: 247





	1. Desperately Seeking Mac!

**Author's Note:**

> Mac is nervous about meeting Desi’s family, Riley searches for a new hobby to pass the time (but mostly to avoid further questions from Bozer) and Riley leads her first op!

_**Riley – (her apartment, yes, the one she hates)** _

Now that codex wasn’t as big of a threat as before, Riley had a lot of free time left on her hands. With Bozer consistently finding ways to fill up that free time (because of a need to help sort out her ‘confused’ feelings – Bozer’s words, not her’s) - avoiding him had become a little bit of a necessity. Riley loved the guy, she truly did, he was like a little brother to her, but she didn’t need him poking further into a case she’d much rather remain closed.

Mac and Desi had figured out, at the very least, a starting point to healing their relationship and honestly, she was happy for them. she wondered what Mac finally said or did to get that done but he had managed it! If she was being honest with herself, she knew regardless of everything that had happened, they did truly care for each other.

Her feelings for Mac were definitely not down to adrenaline, but right now, no one needed to know that. Mac was special to her and he honestly was someone she’d do anything for. She knew what she felt for him was, in its purest form – love. She knew at this point though; it didn’t matter and maybe that was okay. She wasn’t going to be the girl that pined over an unrequited love. Mac was her best friend and if that’s all he had to be to her then that’s what it was.

She crashed on her sofa, her mind racing on things she could do to fill the void she had allowed herself to create. She didn’t particularly want to hang out with the man she loved and his girlfriend and she sure as hell didn’t want to be bombarded with the look of pity and further questions from Bozer. She needed a hobby…

“So, help me, God” Riley could do nothing but sigh at her situation. She opened her laptop and started some research - she was determined to find something…anything.

_**Mac’s House – (still in the hills, still full of collectibles aka what Jack would call 'Junk')** _

This was it. This was the big day. The day Mac would meet Desi’s parents, her brother, make a good impression and hopefully not mess it up. Mac and Desi had been on great terms the past month. After going for sushi, they talked more, spent a lot of time together and figured out a rhythm that worked for them outside of missions. Mac was feeling hopeful about them so when Desi suggested dinner at her parent’s house, he jumped at the idea. Now, reality came home to roost.

“Hey Mac, zoning out at dinner, may not be the best look.” Desi smiled and rubbed his shoulder.

“I’m sorry Dez, I guess I’m more nervous than I thought. It’s the first time I’m meeting your parents and right now all I can focus on, is the fact the blood vessels surrounding my stomach and intestines are contracting and their blood flow has subsequently dropped” Mac looked at Desi’s face and smiled at her clear confusion.

“Erm, in English Mac…please” Desi smiled and sat leaned on the kitchen counter.

“What I meant to say was I have butterflies in my stomach” Mac gave a small smile and ran a hand though his hair.

“Oh! Mac don’t worry…we’ve got this. My parents are logical, unemotional people. You’ll get along fine!”

Mac raised his eyebrows, not quite understanding what she meant by that comment. Desi quickly realising her mistake shifted her weight and cleared her throat.

“What I mean is, they won’t get into all the mushy stuff parent’s usually do. It’s just a nice dinner, that’s all. Don’t worry so much, okay?”

Mac gave Desi a small nod. Desi smiled back and kissed Mac on the cheek. Although he was still a little nervous, Mac reconciled that he ought to be a least a little nervous. He also had to remember that he could do this, but he’d be a liar if he said one of Riley’s pep talks wouldn’t come in handy right now…

_**Back at Riley’s…** _

Riley had long ago given up on her search for a new hobby and came to her own decision to improve on a skill she lacked on. She had found a cool looking cooking class in downtown L.A. So she signed up to before she chickened out. It was a life skill, she could meet normal people outside of Phoenix, plus no computers. It was a win, win. That was especially the case as she looked down and chuckled at her pitiful excuse of a stir fry. She laughed at herself as she reached for laptop to order Chinese food that wasn’t going to make her vomit.

Once her food arrived, she ate her Chinese and watched Rick and Morty while her mind wandered over to what Mac was doing right now. Tonight, he was meeting Desi’s parents. He must be nervous, she thought. A sadness fell upon her as the realisation that Mac and Desi were getting serious dawned on her. She wanted him to be happy and to have what he wanted. It just sucked that that meant she couldn’t have what she needed – him.

With her appetite well and truly destroyed, Riley cleaned up and called it a night. While in bed, she hoped Mac wasn’t too nervous about meeting Desi’s family. As she drifted off to sleep, a slow smile formed on her face as she imagined Mac’s reaction after she’d tell him that she’d watched the new Rick and Morty episode without him…

The next day…

Riley walked into the war room at the Phoenix and found it empty. It seemed like she was the first one present, so she took the chance to set up for the briefing. She’d been so focused she hadn’t noticed when Mac walked in.

“Hey, Riles. First one here, huh?” Riley jumped and turned, her eyes landing on his bright blue ones. He looked happy. He certainly looked good. Hands tucked away in his front pockets, and a smile as wide and deep as the ocean. An ocean that reminded her of the blue of his eyes. She cleared her suddenly dry throat and got her head back in the game.

“Looks like dinner went well last night?” Riley asked. Mac laughed a low, deep laugh and Riley’s bones melted. She didn’t even know they did that.

“Surprisingly, yes. I was nervous about meeting her family, but they seem to like me. Which is a good thing, of course”

“Of course. I’m glad it went well for you, Mac”

Riley gave him a smile even though her heart was plummeting. It wasn’t like she wanted the meeting to go badly, she just didn’t realise how sad she’d be to know it went so well. Bozer, Russ and Desi walked in soon after.

“Me too, Riles.” He whispered as he winked at Riley and sat in the chair nearest to hers. All of them exchanging the usual greetings to each other; last was Matty, who had her game face on. Whatever the mission was, it wasn’t going to be a walk in the park.

“Okay listen up everyone, this mission isn’t going to be your typical mission. I’m splitting the teams up and one of the teams will be undercover” Matty wasn’t wasting any time, Riley mused as her apprehension rose.

Mac, eager to know what they were up against asked the question on everybody’s lips. “What’s the mission, boss?”

“Kyle Denver is the son of Reginald Denver, Silicone Valleys richest tech billionaire. He’s also suspected of running an illegal underground arms market. The FBI, NSA, DEA – the whole alphabet – have eyes on him, waiting to arrest Kyle on illegal arms smuggling, domestic terrorism and gun trafficking amongst other things. Our mission is to find Kyle and apprehend him before he sells a brand-new rifle that locks on to the heat signature of its target before shooting. Essentially, increasing shooting accuracy by 70%. In the best hands, the gun and the gun’s schematics end up with the FBI. In the worst hands, they end up in the possession of cartels or global and domestic terrorist groups.”

“Okay, so what’s the plan?” said Riley as she let out the breath, she hadn’t realised she’d been holding

“Well Kyle will be attending the annual ‘Silicone Valley of Tomorrow’ event where young, spoilt offspring of Silicon Valley tech moguls go to mingle, party and talk about future endeavours in tech. Think of it as spring break but for kids worth billions of dollars. Mac and Riley will go undercover as an engaged couple. Mac will be Aaron Sidwell and Riley you’re Raine Gordon.” Matty said turning to Russ to explain further.

Riley struggled to hear Matty over the sound of her heart racing. Seeing Mac and Desi happy together was one thing but having to go undercover as a couple with him was possibly too much. She knew it had to be her. They were going into her domain but that didn’t make the situation any less torturous. She dragged her mind back to Russ as he continued on where Matty left off.

“Aaron Sidwell is son to Minerva Sidwell. An English Billionaire tech mogul who sent Aaron to LA aged 10 to prepare him to take over the family business. Raine Gordon is daughter of Alfred Gordon, a Multi-Billionaire tech mogul, who just like Minerva Sidwell is looking to advance in the world of technical security - aka military arms dealing; legal or otherwise- so just the willing customers Kyle Denver will be looking for.”

Matty pointed her eyes straight to Riley, she hoped this didn’t mean what she thought it meant. She wasn’t ready for this. “Riley, you’re taking lead on this mission. Your skill set and knowledge is perfect for this op and with Mac’s knowledge, you both should be able to pull this off without much of a problem...understood?”

“Yes mam.” Riley wasn’t too thrilled about being lead on an op like this for the first time and especially not if she would be going undercover with Mac as an engaged couple.

“Your main aim is to get as much intel on Kyle's arms market and get yourself invited. Riley, if and where you can, imply your identity as Artemis37. We can utilize the weight that comes with that name to gain trust and infiltrate Kyle’s operation further.”

Riley felt her stomach turn further; this op just became a little bit more nerve racking. She couldn’t show insecurity though, she had to get her head in the game and make sure this op was successful.

“Now that’s clear - get ready. Wheels up in 30!” Riley truly hoped she had this. She had no choice but to.

Silicon Valley of Tomorrow – Night one

Riley lay on her bed in her hotel room staring up at the ceiling. The same hotel room that was adjoined to Mac’s room. She had showered, picked out a dark red dress that fit her like a glove, straightened and curled her hair and applied a full face of makeup. She looked like a million dollars; she smiled at that thought. She just didn’t feel like it. Nerves were never something that were a stranger to her but being nervous on ops nowadays weren’t a thing for her.

_Yeah, that’s because you weren’t leading other ops!_

Riley took a deep breath, sat up and slipped on her Louboutin’s. They fit well and the sticky gel pads she’d brought would at least allow her to wear them the whole night without limping. She pushed her shoulders down and back, getting her posture just right. After flipping her hair behind her right shoulder, picking up her clutch and taking one last look in the mirror, she walked over the to the joining door of Mac’s room and knocked.

“Mac, I’m ready to go.” A moment after Mac opened the door to her and breath caught in her throat. He looked amazing. In a fitted tux, his blonde hair gently slicked back and his eyes were warm with a twinkle in them; at this rate, she honestly didn’t know how she was going to get through this op.

“Wow, Riles! You look absolutely amazing!” Mac smiled wide and walked up to Riley as he spoke. He grabbed her hand and winked at her, with a joke hidden in his eyes.

“Are you ready, my love?”

“Born ready.” Riley wasn’t sure she ready for anything that was about to happen tonight. Her brain was still scrambled by Mac’s compliment. Her heart wished it was anything other than a friend complimenting a friend. She gave herself a mental shake, walked out of the room with Mac, entered the elevator and walked into the massive hall where tonight’s dinner would take place.

Riley looked to her right and saw Desi dressed as a waitress serving guests. She gave Riley a slight nod. Over to the left, Russ was positioned at the bar serving drinks; he also gave them a slight nod. Now the team was positioned, both Riley and Mac discreetly turned on their comms to check in with Matty and Bozer. Riley spoke first.

“Matty, we’re in. I’ve spotted Kyle a few tables from ours. He seems to be with his date. Mac and I will get settled in at our tables, and wait for the mingle hour to engage Kyle”

“Sounds good Riley, be careful and don’t mess this up!”

Riley really hoped for that last bit to be so. Mac held out his arm and waited for Riley to hook hers around his. Mac guided her to their table and held out a seat for her then tucked her chair in for her. Mac was nothing if not a gentleman she thought as she smiled to herself.

_Another reason to love him, huh, Riley?_

She swallowed hard and made peace with the fact she wasn’t going to survive this op unscathed…

Mac looked over to Riley and smiled. She really did look breathtaking tonight. To Mac, Riley always looked good but tonight, he was truly taken aback. Smiling to himself, he decided that she definitely looked the part of rich billionaire heiress. He found himself struggling to keep his eyes off Riley in that dress. He’s always loved her in red.

_Whoa! What are you doing? Mind on the op, man. Mind off Riley. It’s not the first time you seen her in a dress!_

Mac diverted his mind from that train of thought. Riley looked amazing but why he kept repeating that was beyond him. His eyes roamed the hall and fell on Desi. Mac smiled as he looked on at Desi serving drinks while keeping her eye fully on Kyle. She always looked great when she was in work mode. Her face was stoic when not interacting with guests. He almost laughed at the forced smile she had to put on for over-zealous guests that prompted small talk with her.

_Desi doesn’t do small talk._

As Mac laughed internally at the scene rolling out before him, his eyes again roamed over Riley. He remembered how he felt when she turned up to save him, as he went rouge with Scarlett. He had never expected her to turn-up, but he was glad that she did. Only God knows what would have happened if she hadn’t.

“Thank you. Thank you for always being there for me, Riles. I know I haven’t thanked you for what you did for me with Codex. That was truly amazing of you”

Riley turned as Mac started to speak to her. She wasn’t prepared for this conversation. She knew she would follow him to the ends of the earth, but he didn’t need to know that.

“Honestly Mac, you don’t need to thank- “

“-No Riles, I do. You risked your life, your safety - for me, and I’m eternally grateful. I’m grateful that you trusted in me that much, even with your worry. You chose to believe in me. I know others were not quite as forgiving” Mac's voice drifted as he looked towards Desi and Russ. He gave a tight smile to Riley as she looked intently at Mac.

“I know Desi lost trust in me, but if we’re both honest with ourselves, it wasn’t fully there to begin with. Neither of us fully gave each other the chance to trust each other off of the field. That showed its ugly head when I chose to go rogue. I know that regardless of my intention, my actions were hurtful.” Mac looked pained. All Riley wanted to do was take that pain away from him. Without thinking she grabbed his hand. Mac smiled and gladly held on to her for the support she sought to give.

“I get it Mac, if you gassed me, I probably wouldn’t be your biggest fan right after, either” Riley gave Mac an understanding smile. She got why he did what he did, but she couldn’t lie - she also understood why Desi felt hurt.

“Yeah, not my greatest moment, huh?”

“Nope.”

Both Mac and Riley laughed and squeezed each other hands. A show of understanding and reassurance between the two.

“Nevertheless Riley, thank you. You mean the world to me and I’m grateful to have you in my life, by my side. You’re the best friend a guy could ask for.” Riley’s heart soared and broke all within a sentence. She smiled and squeezed Mac’s hand as she swallowed the tears that threatened to fall.

“You too Mac, you, too.”

Riley barley recognized her voice. Her heart was taking a real beating tonight she mused bitterly. She let go of Mac’s hand and turned to zone in on Kyle. She had to keep her mind on the op. She was leading this, and she was not about to let a broken heart mess up this mission. She’d eventually move on from Mac but right now her focus had to be Kyle Denver.


	2. The Long Shot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 – Riley leaps into leading her first op. Will she be successful, or will she fail miserably?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a kicker to write haha, so I hope you like it. My favourite part is near the end, try and guess if you can tell what it is. Please tell me what your favourite part is, though. Can't wait for you guys to read Chapter 3... its my fave chapter so far!

Riley discreetly twisted a chunk of the gold bracelet she wore. To the naked, untrained eye, it looked like a lovely bracelet her doting fiancée had gifted her. In reality, it was a device scanner that would scan weakness in the cybersecurity of the building, hack into the security cameras and copy any information needed off of devices in range. Considering this was an event made for tech moguls, the breaches found were embarrassing. Then again, they never really stood a chance against her. Riley signalled to Mac to turn their comms back on.

“Mac, I will get us some drinks - the bar is close enough to Denvers to attempt a cloaked scan on his device. Russ and his questionable bar skills should give me enough time to scan his phone.”

“Ms Davis, I would love to see you do any better!" Russ retorted - clearly not taking kindly to the light-hearted jab from Riley. Mac stifled a laugh and focused on Denvers. 

“Good thinking Riley. I’ll keep a lookout and make sure you get what you need in time.” Riley let out a deep breath and stood up, while Mac and his eyes, followed her movements intently. 

“Thanks, Mac, wish me luck.”

“You do not need it - you have got this, Riles.” Riley gave Mac a small smile and walked over to the bar. Smiling as she approached the bar, she took a seat. She just about held in a laugh when she saw Russ and his face. It spoke volumes about his displeasure of being placed behind the bar. 

“Honestly, putting a man of my class behind a seedy bar is unbecoming!”, Russ spoke with mock indignation. Riley let out a soft laugh, Russ responded with a smile. 

“Well bar-keep, if you could slowly make me a long-island ice-tea and a bubble-gum martini for Mac - that would be most helpful.” 

“Oh, come on, that was one time!” replied Mac. Russ winked at Riley as she held in her laugh at Mac’s frustrated rebuttal.

“You had two, Mac”, Desi responded, clearly amused at the turn in the conversation.

“Des, you are not helping.”

“Just saying, Mac!”

“Okay pack it in, lovebirds! Right, Ms Davis, your drinks are coming up”, Russ replied as he discreetly turned on the signal booster that Riley had asked Mac to make, from under the bar. The booster would help scan other devices further than Denvers and erase their cyber footprint. They could copy the info they needed without so much as leaving a breadcrumb. 

Riley felt her bracelet vibrate, indicating the start of its scan. She hoped they could get as much on Denver as possible. The thought of her failing dawned on her. More than being her first mission in her lead, it was one that had very deadly ramifications, if it went wrong. Everyone on the team believed in her and trusted her. She couldn’t mess this up. Especially as Mac believed her more than anyone. She turned around to look at Mac. She studied his face for a moment and smiled sadly. His opinion meant everything, his support meant everything, and he meant everything. She turned to check on Russ’s progress and notice his signal to turn off their comms.

“What’s up, Russ?” Riley asked, confused by the action - why turn off comms now?

“Ms Davis, apologies if I overstep here but I sense a level of uneasiness, maybe even sadness from you. I know it’s your first mission, but you can do this. What is going on?” this line of questioning from Russ was getting dangerously too close to the truth. The truth is she’d run over the op in her mind thousands of times. She could do this and if things went wrong…well…she would just have to improvise. Her emotions were due to her proximity to Mac, but Russ did not need to know that.

“Russ, I’m good. It’s just nerves. Nothing a Long Island Ice-Tea won’t cure.” Russ smiled at her, but she could tell that that was not where this conversation would stop. Russ handed her over her drink and started on Mac’s. 

“Ms Davis, as you already know, I love a good pattern – especially patterns in behaviour. You seem to show a pattern of anxiousness, when around Mr MacGyver. You too are normally so close and comfortable around each other. Has there been a rift? It is important for us to all be on the same page, especially after Codex.” Russ looked at her with sincere worry. She did not want to have this conversation, not with Russ and certainly not now. Riley shifted in her seat and looked down at her tea. When she looked back at Russ, she saw a silent understanding of her reluctancy to talk about it. She smiled and shook her head.

“Mac and I are fine. He’s my best friend, we will always have each other's back. Don’t worry Russ, I am okay, we are okay. Thank you for the concern though.” Riley gave Russ a smile that said more than she intended. Just at that moment, Russ confirmed his hunch. Russ figured to himself that when Riley was finally ready to speak about her feelings for Mac, she would know where to go, even if that meant to him.

“Understood, Riley. For what it is worth, I have been where you are now. I understand the reluctancy to acknowledge it out loud. I cannot promise it gets any easier. One thing I can promise you, whatever happens, that man over there would lay down his life for you in a heartbeat.” 

“Thank you, Russ.” Riley looked down at her drink and rapidly blinked her threatening tears, away. Russ could read her like a book, but she appreciated his words and appreciated the respect he showed of her boundaries. He turned his comms back on - Riley followed his lead. Russ handed her the Bubble-gum Martini for Mac just as her bracelet vibrated. Her scan completed, and Matty confirmed as much.

“Great job Riley, your bracelet copied all the files on Kyle’s phone and tablet, including access to the hotel's cyber portal. We have all the intel we need, great work!”, said Matty.

“What's next, Boss?”, Mac asked as he watched Riley return to their table with their drinks.

“Now we need an invite to the next arms auction. We need to get the physical copy of the gun schematics as well as the weapon. Its invite-only, so your next job is to get into that action, understood?”

“Yes, ma’am”, answered Riley and Mac in unison.

Riley took a sip of her drink and surprisingly enjoyed it. Mac looked over at her face, amused by her reaction. With a teasing look, Riley glanced over at Mac’s martini and urged him to try it. Apprehensively, Mac picked up his drink and took a sip. Although expecting a horrible taste, Mac was pleasantly surprised.

“Don’t go looking too shocked, you two! I’ll have you know - I am a great mixologist.” Russ wiped his hands with the white cloth previously placed on his shoulder, slammed it on the bar and went to attend to a guest. Riley and Mac looked over to each other and burst into laughter at the scene. They were both going to get an earful from Russ at the briefing, that was for sure.

Riley looked around the hall and noticed the guests starting to disperse and interact with each other. She figured that the mingling hour had begun. It was now the best chance to engage with Kyle. Riley turned off her bracelet and took out her phone. She ran encryption to find out the hotel room Kyle was staying in and started a video loop on the security cameras she had hacked earlier. Her phone came up with room-283, and she texted the room number to Desi.

“Desi, I’ve sent you Kyle’s room number and set up a 20-minute loop on the security cameras. You have to get up to room-283, search for the physical copy of the gun schematics, and plant the surveillance cameras. Be as quick as you can, the last thing we want are the security guards to get suspicious about the loop. The booster won’t be in range, so I can’t block your comms signal from security. You’ll have to go dark and turn off your comms. Be careful, Des!”

“You got it, Riley - see you on the other side.” with that Desi turned off her comms and disappeared into the crowd.

Riley turned to Mac and gave him a small smile -it was showtime. Now she had to get through this pretence with Mac, without her battered heart completely giving out on her. Mac smiled back, grabbed her hand and led her to where the other guests had gathered. She took in a deep breath to calm her nerves. Riley could do this - could pretend that Mac was her fiancée and the man that she loved. She already had one of those two things down she mused ruefully. Riley’s heart skipped a beat when Mac wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her in the direction of Kyle, “You ready Riles?”, asked Mac. Riley turned to Mac, smiling, “Born Ready.” With Mac returning her smile, Riley psyched herself to get Kyle’s attention.

“Well, isn’t it the golden boy – Kyle Denvers”, Riley purred – hoping to get Kyle’s attention. Kyle turned around and took in the image of Riley. She felt her skin crawl as Kyle blatantly checked her out from head-to-toe. She felt Mac stiffen beside her, obviously as unimpressed with Kyle as she was.

“And who do I owe the pleasure to?”, asked Kyle.

Riley reached out her hand and introduced them both, “Raine, Raine Gordon – my mother owns Synergy Tech. Here is my fiancé, Aaron Sidwell. His father owns Sidwell Solutions. I’ve heard a lot about you, Mr Denver, nice to put a face to the name.” Riley smiled brightly as Kyle’s clammy hand shook hers. His smile bordered on predatory, and he seemingly wasn’t ashamed to ogle another man’s fiancé in-front him and his very own date.

_What a real slimeball!_

“I think I’ve heard of you, your father is Alfred Gordon, yes?”, he pointed at Riley – to which Riley confirmed with a nod. Their cover identities were actual people; both young recluses refused to enter the social scene. Little information was known about Raine Gordon and Aaron Sidwell - working in their favour for this mission. Kyle turned his attention to Mac, “and your mother must be Minerva Sidwell then” Mac gave him or tight smile and nodded. “You would be correct.”, Mac replied with disinterest. Riley needed to focus this conversation on the arms deal happening tomorrow night. They had to receive an invite, and they had to receive one soon.

“My father is currently in the business of tech-based security. I’ve told him many times the future is in cybersecurity, but you know how these old hogs can be. Only focused on arms and machine guns, when the world is becoming so digital” Riley watched as Kyle’s interest perked and he started to take the bait.

“Well, Ms Gordon, I wouldn’t be too quick to dismiss your father’s vision. There’s a vast world or tech-based arms that governments like ours, are dying to buy.” Kyle’s slow smile gave Riley some confidence to further push on with this line of conversation. She just needed to at her being Artemis37 and hint at a possible interest in buying those arms.

“You may have a point Denvers. My father has tasked me with that such idea. Honestly, I see it as potentially synergistic with implementing our new government cyber-systems. The NSA had an embarrassing cyber-attack carried out on them several years ago - a factor that we have been able to utilise” Riley stilled for a moment, he just had to take the bait, and she could sail this thing home. First, she needed to establish how much he knew about Artemis37.

“Ah yes, the legendary Artemis37. Between you and me, Ms Gordon – I have for many years tried to track them down. But to no avail” Riley smiled at him and moved further into his personal space to whisper, “Well I hear there’s no better strategy in business than a trojan horse.”, Riley winked and moved back in place, next to Mac. Riley saw the realisation hit Denvers in that very moment – she hoped for their sake, he had taken the bait.

“Ms Gordon, are you implying what I think you’re implying?”, Kyle asked.

“What do you think I’m implying?” Riley figured that acting somewhat protective and shifty over revealing her identity would help sell this a little bit.

“Artemis37 was caught and sentenced after that hack. If what you’re implying is true, how are you here?”, questioned Kyle.

“if you think a simple IP swap and the fake cyber-trail crumb is beyond Artemis37 then you really must not know my work” Riley decided to poke the bear further, “We both know Artemis37 isn’t the factor here Denvers. My father wants to do business, do you?” Riley knew she was taking an enormous risk, but it was a calculated one. Kyle was way to pompous to let her know that he was unaware of Artemis37’s skills. Plus, she could tell he was biding his time to introduce a potential arms deal. Kyle’s face confirmed as much. Now it was him that moved closer to Riley, and she felt Mac stiffen beside her as Kyle’s face took on a menacing turn.

“Tomorrow night, Hotel basement – 7 pm”, Kyle whispered. In an instance, his menacing expression disappeared and replaced with a smile. He turned back to his date, guiding her to the rest of the party. Riley’s phone buzzed – indicating Desi’s 20minutes was up. Hoping that Desi found something; Riley signalled to Mac to return to their tables. Seated back at their table, Riley attempted to contact Desi’s comms.

“Desi, please tell me you’re out of there?” she spoke into her comms. A heartbeat passed until Desi’s voice filled her ears, “I’m good, Riley. Currently, in the lobby - the cameras have been placed in his room. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the schematics. Wherever those schematics are, Denvers does not want them found.” Riley sighed with relief and also frustration. Not finding those schematics meant that Denvers planned on selling them with the weapon and the only chance they had now was the arms deal tomorrow. Thankfully, they now had an invite.

“Good thing Riley got us invited to the arms deal, we have to get the weapon and the schematics in one sitting”, said Mac

“Now that we have an invite - we now have a plan. Mac and Riley, go to that arms deal tomorrow night and bid. Desi and Russ will follow you in as your bodyguards. Bid and distract them until phoenix agents have the basement surrounded. Make sure you get the weapon and the schematics! Then agents will storm the place - you guys got that?”, Matty’s plan seemed simple enough, Riley mused. She just hoped it stayed that way.

“Got it!”, they all replied in unison.

“I think it’s time we call it a night and go back to our rooms, Riles. We can plan and monitor Denvers until the deal. See if we can get more intel.” Riley nodded and stood up, with Mac following her lead. Honestly, she was ready to get back to her room. She needed alone time to clear her head, but by the sounds of it - Mac had a different idea.

Getting back to the room, Riley entered through Mac’s door and immediately took off her heels. Those damn things were deadly. She started making way to her room when Mac spoke.

“Riles, do you want to take first watch? I don’t mind staying up with you, or we can take turns?”, Riley turned around to face Mac; she would rather be alone.

“No, don’t worry. I got it, Mac, I’ll wake you if I see anything.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah, of course!”

Mac smiled back at her and began talking off his tux jacket. Riley took that as her cue to leave. After saying good night to Mac, she entered her hotel room, let out a big sigh and flopped on herself down on the bed. Willing herself to move, she sat up and removed her dress, opting for an oversized shirt and leggings. Subsequently, her night consisted of keeping watch on Denvers – who turned out to be very uneventful and trying but failing miserably to keep her mind off Mac.

_**The next night– (At the aforementioned; arms deal - in a basement, with sweaty henchmen and no air con – great!).** _

Riley and Mac entered the arms deal hand-in-hand with Russ and Desi close behind. Completely decked out in all-black out outfits; she felt like Ethan Hunt from Mission Impossible, and somewhere along the night, her sleep-deprived state had manifested itself into confidence and a razor-sharp focus.

Riley was pretty sure was 80 per cent caffeine and adrenaline at this point. She and the team had run over the plan. Out-bid others for the weapon and its schematics then high-tail it out of there once Phoenix agents raided the place. Simple, efficient and doable – all things Riley hoped would ring true by the end of this mission. Riley took a front seat with Mac joining. She clocked Desi, standing on the far right of the room and Russ, standing on the far left. With the other buyers arriving and the team now in position, the show could begin.

“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, I’m sure you’re all eager to start?” Kyle walked over to the weapon, which lay in a black leather case, and the rolled-up print of the gun schematics beside it. The bidding soon began with buyers raising the stakes cautiously. Within fifteen minutes, the buyer bids had entered eight figures and were quickly rising. By the end of the auction, it was down to Riley and one other bidder. Riley upped the offer by five million, which seemed to be enough to discourage the last bidder.

“Going once, going twice…sold to Ms Gordon!” Riley stood up with the black, briefcase she brought with her; filled with money that was nowhere near the amount to win the bid, but that would not matter in the end. Kyle smiled sincerely, as they swapped over items.

“Remember the code word, Riley. Say it, and we move!”, said Matty through comms.

Riley now with the weapon and the schematics had secured her goal. Kyle placed the briefcase down and opened the case. His face went dark, and his head snapped instantly back at Riley.

“What kind of game do you think you’re playing at here?” Kyle immediately drew for his gun – shoving it in her face. Quickly, Russ and Desi followed - drawing out their guns. An enraged Mac pulled Riley back and stepped in front of her.

“I’d suggest you put that gun down Denvers”, warned Mac.

“What leverage do think you have here? Shut up, or you get a bullet in the head for free!” Kyle cocked the gun, indicating his intentions. Riley decided she had let this circus go on long enough.

“Cairo” shouted Riley. Within seconds Phoenix agents swarmed the basements and the other buyers began scrambling to escape. Mac grabbed Riley and dragged her to towards the main entrance as Phoenix agents tackled and surrounded Denvers. Mac got her to the corner wall, near the main entrance, and used his body to shield her while they made their way out. Riley was acutely aware of how tight Mac was holding on to her. She was even more aware of how desperately she held on to him too. Once, they were out - Mac guided her to the wall; his eyes frantically searched her for any injuries.

“Mac, I’m fine...I'm not hurt; stop worrying.”, Riley urged.

“Riles, that bastard shoved a gun in your face! Are you sure you’re okay? That bastard! What if he had…”, his hands immediately cupped her face, his worried expression made her heart melt and his hands on her skin made it hard to think straight. Mac began to gently stroke her cheeks with his thumb. She was pretty sure he was unaware he was doing so. Riley lost in the blue of his eyes; felt her pulse shoot through the roof. For what seemed like an eternity; they stared at each other. Mac gently stroked her face, and Riley cupped both his hands.

“Mac, I’m okay…I promise”, whispered Riley.

He was the first to pull away and step back. Relief washed over his face as the words finally set in. Soon after, Desi and Russ came through the main entrance to meet them. With the mission completed, they all made their way back to the jet.

**_Later that night, on the phoenix jet._ **

Everyone was asleep except for Riley. She could not sleep, and her emotions were going haywire and her mind racing. She was so proud of the success of the mission. The weapon and the schematics were with The Phoenix Foundation. Denvers and his associates had been round-up and hand-delivered to the FBI. She had done it. With the help of the team, she had successfully led her first op. The only thing was, she could not think of anything else but the moment she and Mac had shared in the hallway. Her heart raced as she remembered the tender look of worry on his face, or how her body reacted to his absent-minded caress. Her head was spinning, and her feelings for Mac were getting out of control. She had to get some distance from him. Luckily, her cooking classes started next week so she would miss the movie nights. Although she wanted to spend time with him; Riley knew she needed some time away from him. she needed time to focus on herself. Turning away from the jet window and looking over at a sleeping Mac, a single tear found a way to escape when she realised; the man she loved could never be hers.


	3. When Riley Met Zack.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riley starts her cooking class and food isn’t the only thing heating up between her and her cooking partner. Meanwhile, Mac considers Desi’s suggestion to move in together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I truly loved writing this chapter! Riley deserves a hot girl summer and Zack is dreamboat...y'all will find more out about that later!

**_Downtown L.A. – At Riley’s first cooking class…, (don’t burn none, and it won’t be none)_ **

****

**** Riley optimistically walked into her first cooking class; she was determined to get as much out of it as possible. Riley walked in to see other people scattered around the room. There were numerous cooking islands with tabletops, flat electric cookers followed by deep sinks installed on the counters.

She had gotten there just on time, so she chose a table near the front, sat down and mentally prepared herself to start. The teacher walked into the room in a flurry, shhe was a ball of energy that looked like a hippie straight out of the 70s. Her waist-length blonde hair flowed behind her shoulders, and she wrote her name and the dish they would be cooking on the blackboard behind her.

“Welcome everyone! Please welcome our new chef in the class tonight”, she looked straight at Riley and smiled. She seemed warm and kind, Riley took an instant liking to her. She carried out introducing the plan for tonight.

“Okay so for the new chef here tonight, my name is Anita, and I’m your teacher. Cooking is all about passion, attention and care and I’m here to teach you - not just how to cook, but how to feed and fulfil! So, is everyone ready?”, asked Anita.

“Yes, we are!” the rest of the class replied in unison with glee and enthusiasm. Anita's level of enthusiasm felt foreign to Riley, but she'd be a liar if she said she didn't appreciate it.

“Fantastic! So, apart from Ms Davis, you all have your partners already set up. Fortunately, we have one more addition to the class for our new chef pair. So, once he turns up, we will have a partner for Ms Davis here!” Riley wondered if this person would turn up at all. They were already ten minutes late.

In tonight's class, they were making a chicken pot pie. Surprisingly, she was excited to start. After ten minutes of following the instructions, and her partner still being a no show – Riley accepted the fact that she would be flying solo here. After a few more minutes went by when Riley heard the classroom door open and shut.

“Finally, Mr Parker. You’re 20 minutes late, what happened?”, Riley heard Anita squeal in the distance, but she was on a particularly tricky part of making pastry leaves for her pie; so, she chose to ignore the commotion.

“Anita, I’m sorry. I’m still getting used to L.A. traffic. Come on Anita, you get it. God forbid L.A. gets a decent public transport system, so I don’t get stuck in bender-to-bender traffic.”, the new voice that entered took Riley by surprise. It was deep, smooth, and her head immediately shot up at the sound of it.

Riley’s eyes landed on a pair of devastatingly beautiful, green eyes. For a moment, everything stood still as those eyes stared right back at her. With a twinkle in them that set her pulse racing, his smile did the greatest of damage.

The mystery man winked and gave her an earnest smile; one she could not help but return. Riley blushed, begrudgingly ripped her stare away, and returned her attention to her pie. Soon, she looked up and gave the mystery man a once over. He was tall, with broad shoulders and athletic muscles. His dark brown hair was short and clean cut. A lock of his hair effortlessly fell on forward and rested on his forehead; a Superman haircut if she had ever seen one, Riley mused to herself.

_Why would anyone be allowed to be that hot?_

Shaking her head, Anita folded her arms; obviously not impressed with the handsome newcomer, “Well lucky for you, I have a new student signed up, so you have a partner now. So, hurry up and go help, she’s already making good progress without you”, Anita said. The mystery man looked ahead at Riley again. He gave a little smirk that made Riley’s stomach flip.

“No problem, M’am!”, without breaking his eye contact with Riley, he winked at her and moved over to her counter. Rile struggled to hold back a smile at his response. His thick New Yorker accent was smooth like honey, and it brought a smile to her face. He moved to the side of her, his green eyes still holding eye contact.

“Hi, I’m Zack, Zack Parker. It’s lovely to meet you. Sorry about being late; what can I do to help?” Zack smiled and held out one of his big hands for Riley to shake. Riley reached out and grabbed his hand which was strong and warm - with his firm grip, making Riley’s pulse race. His eyes never left hers, they were like a warm, deep green blanket that had wrapped around her, and she was pretty sure she never wanted to leave it.

“Riley, Riley Davis. Nice to meet you too, Zack. Since you made me wait, you can carry on with the pastry leaves”, Riley smiled at him and continued with rolling out her pie pastry. Zack laughed, went over to the sink to wash his hands, and began working on the pastry decorations.

“Well Riley, I’m sorry for keeping you waiting. I can assure you, that won’t happen again. Safe to say, I have more of an incentive to get here on time now.”, his cheeky smirk seemed to brighten up the room. Riley decided he had way too much charm for his own good.

“You flatter me, but the real question is…do you bake well?”, Riley teased.

“Riley…I do many things well”, Zack grinned and kept his eyes on his task. She thanked the heavens he did, when she felt herself blushing. She probably looked like a ripe tomato at that point. Riley bit her lip as her mind imagined some of the things he did well. Riley quickly squashed that train of thought and forced herself to focus on the pie pastry she was currently trying to fit into a pan. The only problem is, she could feel the heat radiating from Zack, and she felt his eyes on her. She turned her head and caught him looking; he showed no trace of embarrassment about getting caught, and somehow that just made him even hotter.

“Well, if that’s the case; I expect your pastry leaves to be excellent.”, Riley giggled playfully and started cutting up her chicken pieces for the pie. She seasoned them up and put them in the ready-made white sauce that Anita had supplied. Zack read the instructions on the blackboard and started boiling the chopped carrots and peas meant the pie filling.

Riley loved how well they seemed to sync as a team. They fell into a comfortable silence that felt easy, natural and encouraging. Before she knew it, their chicken pie was ready to go in the oven. Zack handed over the oven gloves and gestured for her to do the honours. After doing so, she and Zack began cleaning up; once done, they sat on the counter stools and chatted while waiting for the pie.

“What made you take up Anita’s class?”, Zack asked.

“Let’s just stay it was time for me to pick up a hobby. Cooking is a useful life skill, so two birds, one stone. What about you?”, returned Riley.

Zack smiled while leaning forward on his elbows, decreasing the space between their bodies, and Riley didn’t mind that at all. When Zack stared right into her eyes, she was so mesmerised, she almost missed what he said.

“I love to cook; I grew up cooking with my Mom and Dad, but it was just my Mom and I, for a while after my Dad died. Then my stepdad came into the picture, and we all cooked as a family. It always brings back some good memories for me.” Riley’s heart melted at the look of tenderness that flashed across his face. He was so relaxed and open. There was no pretence about him, no barrier. There was no puzzle to figure out or questions to ask; he was expressive and comfortable with her. He didn’t even have to try, and she appreciated that.

“That’s…really nice Zack.” they shared a smile, and the air changed. His eyes dropped to her lips, and like a command, she licked them unconsciously. Zack eased off his elbows and closed the space between them. Riley felt her breath catch as his smoky cologne engulfed her senses. He smelled like a warm night in the woods under the stars. Riley blinked and looked up into his eyes. Her lips parted like she had something to say, but no sound came out. Time froze as they stared into the eyes of each other; the spell, only breaking, when he spoke.

“What do you do for a living, Riley?”, Zack asked. Here it was, the roadblock she always found herself coming to when meeting someone new. Explaining what she did for a living and having to lie about a Think-tank was exhausting. Her relationship with Aubrey had scarred her a little bit but deep down, she knew that she had no real choice but to lie. She just hated having to do so.

“I’m a Certified Ethical Hacker for a Think-tank called The Phoenix Foundation”, replied Riley. Zack smiled and shifted his weight towards the counter, “Oh so, you can change the D I got in Ms Spencer’s Home Rec class in high school?” Riley let out a laugh and shook her head at his absurd suggestion.

“Great, so I’m stuck with a partner that failed Home Rec? I’m not sure about this anymore”, Riley couldn’t help but laugh, and it warmed her further when Zack joined her. She felt herself smile widely and for the first time in a while, felt at complete ease.

“Getting a D in Home Rec means nothing, I could still cook Gordon Ramsey under the table.”, Zack gloated.

Riley grinned and shot up an eyebrow, “So much confidence with nothing to back it up.”

“Wow… Is that a challenge?”, Zack retorted with a mock look of shock on his face.

“It’s whatever you want it to be, Zack”, Riley teased.

Zack moved closer and whispered down to her “Are you sure about that?”

Keeping her eyes glued on his, she got up from her stool to close the space between their bodies. She knew she was playing with fire, but she couldn’t help herself. “Try me.”, whispered Riley.

“If that’s the case…I’d love to take you to dinner tonight.” Zack’s voice washed over her as a deep whisper that sent Riley’s senses into overdrive. Boy, was she in big trouble; she’d only come here to improve a skill, keep herself busy, and keep her mind off Mac. Now, here she was, seconds away from throwing caution to the wind because a handsome stranger was essentially driving her crazy.

_You know what? Screw it. Why not…you said you wanted to move on from Mac…so move on Davis! You’re not marrying the guy; it’s just one dinner!_

Getting on her tiptoes, Riley whispered into his ear, “I’d love to, Zack”, She returned to her feet to see Zack beaming from ear to ear. Riley couldn’t help but smile back at him; that handsome face was hard to say no to. She moved back to sit on her stool, when she realised she’d failed to find out his area of profession. “So, tell me; what is it you do?”, she asked.

“I’m a corporate litigator”, stated Zack.

“So, I should be careful about what I say or do around you, huh?”, teased Riley.

“I can assure you, Riley, anything we say or do while I’m off the clock will stay between you and I.” the twinkle in his eyes spoke volumes. She unknowingly bit her lower lip while his reply conjured up NSFW images in her mind.

“I’m glad I can count on you to be discreet”, Riley replied. Zack was about to respond when Anita interjected.

“Okay everyone, the pies should be done, in about 10 minutes so I hope everyone is ready and cleaned up so we can _eat!_ ” Riley gave a silent giggle at Anita’s high voltage energy. One thing was for sure; it was truly infectious. Zack went to check on the pie in the oven; it seemed to be moving along well, so he closed the oven door and sat back down on his stool. Riley immediately felt the space created when he moved back and sat down. If she was honest, she missed his closeness. Sitting back on her stool, she crossed her legs and immediately noticed his attention to her movement. His eyes rested on her intently, and it warmed her. They both sat in comfortable silence, and when the pies were ready, they all sat as a class and enjoyed their meals. The pie was great, and Anita gave them recipe files so they could collect recipes they made, in class over the next few weeks. The class came to an end and as she was packing up and walking out the door; Zack caught up with her.

“You’re not leaving, already, Riley? I kind-of need your cell number for dinner tonight”, he laughed as he walked to her car on the other side of the car park. Her mind had been so preoccupied about going to dinner with him, she’d forgotten the most important, part. HIM!

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry. My mind was elsewhere" she tore out a piece of paper and wrote her cell phone number down, then handed it over. Zack reached over to grab it; his warms hand lingered on hers; reminding her how much she loved the feel of his skin.

“There’s an awesome restaurant about a mile away from here. It’s called Rouge. Let's meet there at 7 pm? If that works for you?”, Zack asked.

“That sounds good to me, Zack. I can’t wait.”, Riley replied. She felt real excitement for a date for the first time in a while, and she was glad. A hot date was just what she needed.

Zack gave a quick nod as he backed up. He started to walk to his car but took one last glance at Riley, “See you tonight, beautiful!”

Riley turned to her car and then threw back a smile, “See you tonight, Handsome!”

As Riley got in her car and drove away, she couldn’t hide the excitement she felt. The past few months had been beyond stressful, and with everything from Aubrey, Codex, Mac and Desi; she’d been a ball of stress. For the first time in ages, Riley felt good about focusing on herself and what she wanted. She felt good about throwing caution to the wind and throwing herself into something that excited her. Riley refused to sit and pine over Mac. She loved him, and she always would. He would forever be tattooed on her heart, but she needed to move on and as she entered her apartment and started getting ready for her date; she decided that nothing would stop her from doing just that.

**_A little Later at Mac’s House – Movie night with Desi. What could go wrong?_ **

Mac sat down next to Desi on the couch. While holding two big bowls of popcorn, he excitedly offered up some suggestions for movie night. “Okay so I’m thinking, we could watch Avengers, Kong Skull Island or…follow me here…Ms Doubtfire.”, Mac happily offered.

Riley had cancelled on him tonight; she was busy and it seemed like she would be for a while. She'd taken up a new hobby and their movie nights seemed to be a casualty of this. If Mac was honest, he had been bummed out by that. He loved his movie nights with Riley. They were more like movie days; she would come over at noon and they would spend the whole day, into the late night watching movies and chatting. They had the best moments watching great, mediocre and down-right tragically, bad movies. It was their special thing that Mac looked forward to every week. When Riley cancelled, she’d promised that when things eased up for her, she’d be back. She'd even encouraged him to have movie nights with Desi. He’d been apprehensive about that idea, due to how picky Desi could be; but Riley encouraged him to at least try; so, he did.

“Erm…Mac…maybe we could watch Pacific Rim? I love that one, remember we saw the second one when it came out? You still haven’t watched the first one. How about that?” Desi grabbed the remote, smiled and searched for the film. Mac wasn’t interested in watching the first film after he'd hated the sequel. He figured it was one movie and she seemed excited when he’d asked her to come and do this. Having Desi be excited about something he enjoyed wasn’t a regular thing so he’d take this win where he could find it.

They mostly sat in silence as they watched the movie. Movie night with Desi was different; even with the next film Back to the Future, Mac felt no real excitement. Not the way he did when he and Riley did this. They would talk for hours about movies, make fan theories, create funny voice commentary and sound effects while watching. They’d crack jokes and take a shot every time something illogical in the movie happened too. Mac smiled at those memories and how they’d gotten him through his Dad and Aunt dying, Codex, and so much more. Having Riley around had been a real blessing, and he honestly didn’t know what he’d do without her. Mac missed Riley being around, so he picked up his phone and shot Riley a text. He didn’t know what she was doing, but part of him at least hoped she was missing movie night as much as him:

_Hey, Riles, hope everything is all good on your end. Movie night isn’t the same without you! Take care, Mac x_

Desi shuffled up closer to Mac and he put his phone away. He wrapped his arms around Desi and tried to get back into the film. They were on Pacific Rim 2 now…

Desi pulled out of their cuddle and looked up at Mac apprehensively, “Hey Mac, can I ask you something? Just hear me out; It’s just an idea, okay?”

“Sure, what’s up?”, asked Mac.

“I was thinking about us the other day, and how we're in a good place now. I know we’ve had to work at this and I’m happy we have. Before, I didn’t approach this subject because Riley was temporarily living here, and I thought it would be awkward for her to deal with that. But I've been thinking, it would be great for us to move in together for a bit? See how it goes, sort of a trial run. I don’t want you to think that I’m rushing you; so please think it over, but I’d love to do it!”, Desi explained. Mac was stunned and Desi could tell. A look of anxiousness crossed her face, and Mac felt bad; It wasn't that he didn’t care about Desi, but the idea of moving in with her was, slightly terrifying.

_The idea of living with Riley wasn’t terrifying, Mac. Exciting actually! But that was different…that was Riley. This is Desi, this is a whole new ball game._

Mac could sense Desi was becoming upset at the fact he’d said nothing to her suggestion. He had to find the words to speak or this would blow up in his face.

“Wow, Desi I didn't think you’d want to do that. I know how important it is for you to have your own space. It is a big step - don’t get me wrong, I’m not opposed to it, but I’d have to think about it”, said Mac. Desi nodded silently and gave a small smile. Mac knew she was a little disappointed that he didn’t jump at the idea but to her credit, she seemed to understand his hesitations.

“I get it, Mac; I do. Take all the time you need. I’d like to try this with you and take that step. I’m not big on labels as you know, but if I’m honest, the idea of living with you doesn’t seem nearly as scary as it would have. But take your time, think about it and let me know what you decide, babe.” Desi kissed him and returned to snuggle in his arms.

“Thanks, Des,” Mac replied; placing a kiss on the top of her head.

The rest of the movie night seemed like a blur to Mac. His mind focused on the suggestion from Desi. He still wasn't quite sure why he felt so apprehensive about it. They had been in a great place lately, and she was the woman he loved. It was probably just the fear of the unknown; this was a big step. A step, he’d never done romantically before. The only woman he’d lived with was Riley. That had been easy; Riley was his best friend and living with her was the best experience.

He knew it was unfair comparing living with Riley to living with Desi; especially as he had no data on one of them. He needed to think about this, and he needed to speak to Bozer and Riley too. He’d get some advice on what to do and hopefully not completely screw everything up again.


	4. Fools Rush In.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mac finds out about Zack and Riley’s romance as it continues to grow. He also makes a decision about Desi’s suggestion, but will he regret it? Elsewhere, Bozer’s attempts to match-make Matty leads to someone unexpected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to wait to post this chapter on Tuesday but I love this it so much that I could not wait! Hope you like it! any feedback would be great

Riley found herself humming happily, as she worked on the computer systems at the Phoenix lab. Matty had requested an overhaul of the system to upkeep their cyber safety. It meant she had spent the last week off the field with the team, and in the lab. Riley would have been bummed-out to miss the action but luckily, she had been able to work a normal, working schedule. Coming in at eight and leaving at six; Riley had been able to spend every evening with Zack. He was phenomenal - which she had quickly found out after their first date.

He had immediately asked her to go to an ice-skating rink, and she’d jumped at that. They were officially on date number five now, she giggled to herself. Every day this week had been similar; she would work in the lab with the tech team then go home and get ready to see Zack. She was honestly having a wonderful time with him.

She was able to speak about her work since it was simply a cybersecurity overhaul, and for once she was able to relax and have what seemed like a normal life. The only thing that pained her was not seeing Mac. She missed him like she’d missed oxygen and she felt guilty. He had sounded so disappointed about her missing movie nights and when she got home and saw his text, she had to fight the urge to call. She had to wean herself off the drug that Mac had become.

Riley’s phone alerted her to an incoming FaceTime; looking down she saw Zack’s name flash across the screen. He was probably calling to organise the drive-in movie they’d planned tonight. She picked up the phone with a smile.

“Looks like someone missed me.” the corner of Riley’s mouth shot up into a teasing smirk as Zack and his beautiful smile filled her phone screen.

“I always miss you - you know that.”

“But I’m seeing you tonight.”

“And I’m seeing you right now” Zack's smile could light up a room Riley decided. The butterflies she got when he smiled hit her like a truck; he was intoxicating.

Riley giggled and raised an eyebrow while she spun in her lab chair, “What movie are we seeing tonight? Choose wisely or this is the last time you pick.” Zack laughed as she giggled back at him.

“You drive a hard bargain, Ms Davis. I was hoping we could see ‘Staying Alive’; I know how much you love the 80s…and for some reason; John Travolta?” Zack pulled a face of mock confusion and Riley burst into laughter. She appreciated that he remembered the small things. She couldn’t wait to see him; she missed him already.

_Whoa Davis, don’t get too attached. This is still new!_

As new as it was, it felt good, it felt healthy and safe. She would just enjoy it and stop overthinking.

“Good choice, Parker. Pick me up at 8?”

“You got it, Davis. See you tonight.” returning the wave Zack gave her, Riley hung up and returned her attention to her work. She suddenly felt eyes on her and looked up to see who was there. There he was, standing at the hallway, with a look she couldn’t quite place.

_Damn, its Mac. How long has been there? Did he hear me talking to Zack?_

Mac moved into the lab, his hands fidgeting in his pockets. He looked a little uncomfortable and unsure. Well, that answered her question; he had probably heard most of it. He got to her table and smiled awkwardly.

“Still working hard at the overhaul?”, Mac asked.

“Yeah, I guess when Matty said I’d need a week, I underestimated her.”

Mac gave a quick nod and cleared his throat, “We’ve missed you on the field…I’ve missed you on the field, Riles.”

Riley smiled sadly; she’d missed everyone too, especially him, “I’ve missed you too, Mac…all of you.” She hadn’t seen Mac since the Denvers op, and the air seemed thick with awkwardness. She just wished he would say something. How much had he heard?

Mac shifted his weight, looked at the ground shyly then back at Riley’s face, “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, I’m sorry. I came here to ask if you wanted to grab a drink after you finished up, but it seems like you already have plans.”

Riley felt bad; he was trying, and she missed him too. She smiled and decided she had to make it up to him, “Don’t worry Mac, it wasn’t exactly a private conversation. But yeah, I do…I have a date. I’m sorry I couldn’t make movie night, and I’m sorry I can’t grab a drink with you now. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

Mac shrugged, “It’s okay, Riles. We can do something next week?”

“I’d love to, Mac”, Riley felt relieved at the genuine smile Mac gave her. Maybe things wouldn’t be so bad.

“Going on a date, huh? Who’s the lucky guy?” Mac smiled and Riley felt some of the uneasiness subside. She could still feel an awkwardness radiate off Mac, but she figured it was the abruptness of how he found out.

Mac on the other hand decided against his better judgement and asked about the mystery man Riley was video calling. Who was this guy, anyway? He wondered if this was another Aubrey situation. He hoped Riley wasn’t hiding important parts of her life away from him, again. Like, he wasn’t an important part of her life; the way she was for him. Mac wondered where she had found someone anyway. They were always so busy, where was she finding the time to meet people; let alone date them.

_Why does it bother you, MacGyver? Are you jealous or something?_

_What? Of course not, I’m just worried. Aubrey was hard on her. That’s all._

Truth was, watching her get through her breakups with Billy and then Aubrey, had been hard on him too. She had been heartbroken by Billy, saddened and disappointed by Aubrey, and he didn’t want to see her hurt like that again.

“His name is Zack, he’s a corporate litigator. I met him at my cooking class and he’s honestly so awesome, Mac. I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I like him.”

“How long?”, Mac didn’t mean for that to come out sounding so accusatory.

“Almost 2 weeks”, Riley replied with a tight smile.

“Early then”, Mac replied.

Riley looked down at her keyboard, and then looked up at Mac with a hopeful face, “But so far, so good.”

Riley wasn’t particularly fond of the tone Mac was using; anyone would think he was jealous. She filed it away as Mac just trying to be protective.

_Jealous? Come on, don’t be stupid Davis!_

“Well, I’m glad for you Riles, after everything that happened with Aubrey…you deserve someone nice.”

“Thanks, Mac”, Riley returned the smile he gave her as he started to back away and leave. He got to the door of the lab and turned around, “So rain-check on that drink?”, Mac asked hopefully.

“I’ll come to yours Thursday with a case of beer and tons of pizza. Scouts honour!”, said Riley as she quickly shot up a scout’s promise. Mac laughed at Riley’s attempt at a scout’s sign, gave Riley a quick nod and exited the lab. She vowed to spend some time with Mac. Regardless of her feelings and her awkwardness, she missed him like crazy. He was her best friend, and she wasn’t prepared to lose that.

_**Later that Evening…at Mac’s House** _

Mac sat on his couch watching Rick and Morty. Well, 'watching' was a stretch. It was nothing but white noise as his mind fixated on Riley and her date. Who was this guy, anyway? Zack? What kind of name was Zack?

_Really, Angus; we’re doing this again?_

Mac groaned in frustration as he smothered his face in a cushion. He was pretty sure it wasn’t jealousy he was feeling; it was the concern and it was driving him crazy. She was choosing to spend time with Zack – a stranger, and he was cancelled on. Mac knew the fact he missed Riley, and always felt slightly alone when she wasn’t around, was fuelling this. He just couldn’t help it; he had gotten so used to being the person she spent the most time with. To see her spend so much time with someone else, was driving him crazy.

The doorbell rang and pulled Mac out of his spiral. He got up to answer the door and Desi stood there with a bottle of wine and a smile. He had completely forgotten Desi was coming around tonight. Desi stood leaning against the doorway with a teasing look on her face, “Hey baby, I brought wine.”

“Great, I could use a drink.”, Mac stepped aside, letting Desi through and closed the door.

“Hard day?”

“Yeah…something like that.”, Mac gave a small smile and brought Desi in for a hug.

“Well, in that case, let's drink this wine and get you relaxed”, Desi wiggled the bottle as she pulled back from the hug.

“Sure, sounds great.”, Mac said, smiling back.

They sat on the couch, opened the bottle of wine and spent an hour talking and laughing. Well, Desi did most of the talking while Mac tried his best to keep his head in the game. He at least had enough of a distraction that he wasn’t completely spiralling, about Riley and her new man.

“Hey Mac, have you thought about my suggestion?”, Desi gave a nervous smile. One full of hope and apprehension. If he was honest, he hadn’t thought much about it. He also hadn’t gotten the chance to speak to Bozer and when he wanted to speak to Riley; he had accidentally dropped in on her facetime with Zack. Even remembering the conversation brought a burn to him.

At that moment Mac realised he was stalling in his relationship with Desi. Bozer and Leanna had moved in together, Riley had moved out and found someone, and here he was, failing to move forward with Desi. She was trying, and he was not helping enough. He needed to step up and moving in together seemed like the step he needed.

“I have, and I think it’s a great idea. We should give it a go and move in together.”

“Really? Aww, I am so happy! It's going to be great! We might have to put some of your… collectables…in storage, but that is easy enough.” Desi smiled and snuggled up to him. Mac returned the smile the best he could. He was not wholeheartedly sure this was the right decision, but he had to try and continue his effort to fix the areas in his relationship that needed fixing.

_**Meanwhile…in the Phoenix War Room** _

Bozer paced up and down the War Room as he decided on whether what he was about to do was worth the potential punishment he would receive. For weeks, he had been bothering Matty about entering back into the dating scene and each time, she had given him the ‘keep talking, and you’re dead’ look. So why he went through with this crazy-ass plan, was beyond him. After everything that happened with Ethan, he just wanted Matty to be happy. He wanted her to have what he had with Leanna, to have what Mac & Desi seemed to be working towards, and what Riley just found in her new guy.

He smiled at the thought of Zack and Riley. He hadn’t met him yet, but from everything Riley had said - she was smitten with the guy. He was happy for her. Bozer knew how hard it had been for her; watching Mac and Desi get back together when she had fallen in love with Mac. She wouldn’t admit it, but he knew the look of love when he saw it. As much as he wanted Mac and Riley to be together; until Mac realised he was in love with the girl, there wasn’t much he could do. Just then Matty walked into the War Room; she already looked pissed.

“Bozer this better be good; I have an agency to run.”

Soon after; Russ walked in too, right on time, “You have an agency to run? Last time I checked, this was my agency, Matilda.” Russ walked further in and sat down in front of Bozer, Matty rolled her eyes in response.

“Now, Bozer why was I summoned here?” Russ said as he eyed him suspiciously. Bozer cleared his throat; it was showtime...

“Erm…Bozer, what’s going on here?”, Matty asked impatiently.

Bozer swallowed hard and prayed he’d survive this. “Okay, as I’ve been saying to both of you; you both need to get back into the dating pool. Now I know this is not my place, but I wanna see those I care about happy, and what else makes you as happy as being in love? I put both of you into a matchmaking service thinking I would find you a match but…I did not get the result I expected.”

“Bozer, what the hell is wrong with you? You put my information in a matchmaking service? You do know I can make you disappear without a trace, right?”, Matty started advancing towards Bozer, and he saw his whole life flash in front of his eyes. Russ snorted with laughter from where he sat.

“What the hell is so funny, Taylor? He did this to you too.”, Matty retorted.

“Matilda, unlike you, I am a romantic at heart…hear him out - could be interesting. Go ahead Bozer, finish your tale.”, Russ replied with gleeful curiosity that caused Matty to snarl.

“See Matty, Russ is down! Which is a good thing because when I tell you the rest, you may need that enthusiasm.”, Bozer said nervously.

“Bozer…if you do not spit it out, I will end you.”, Matty growled with frustration.

Bozer flinched and held his hands up, “okay, okay. After I put your information in, I got a match for both of you - as I expected. But, I did not expect that you would match with each other.

“What!?!”, Matty shouted. Bozer knew he was dead man. He noticed Russ bursting out with laughter, in the corner where he sat. He was taking this surprisingly well. Matty…was not.

“Bozer, get of out my sight before I do something, I won’t regret…”, Matty growled, and Bozer shot out of there faster than The Flash.

Russ sat, watching Bozer jolt out of the War Room as he held in his laughter. His eyes wandered over to Matty, who was glaring daggers at him.

“You think that was funny, Taylor?”, Matty asked.

“No, Matilda, I think that was close.”, Russ smiled and held out his hand as Matty, walked over to hold it. Russ cupped her face and looked into the eyes of the woman he loved. They had been dating for six months, and it was wonderful. She pushed him to be better, never took any of his crap and held him accountable. He was a goner, he mused.

Biting her bottom lip, Matty searched his eyes and spoke, “Russ, what are we going to do now?”

Russ smiled, leaned in and kissed Matty deeply, while she returned the kiss with passion and love. Russ reluctantly pulled away and smiled down at this remarkable woman.

“Matilda, my love. You worry too much. You just scared the life out of Bozer. I don’t think he’ll be touching that subject again. But you know how much I love it when you get angry”, Russ nibbled at Matty’s lips and her train of thought disappeared.

Matty sighed as she tried to concentrate on anything but Russ’s lips, “You have a point. I just want to protect this as much as I can.”

“I know, and I support you in that. I’d be happy to shout how much I love you from the rooftops, but I want you to be ready.”, replied Russ.

Matty smiled and looked deep into Russ’s eyes, “Thank you, Russell; I love you.”

“I love you too, Matilda.”, Russ replied, smiling.

Matty got on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a deep, passionate kiss. She wanted to protect this for as long as she could.

Russ was the last person she imagined falling in love with but over time, she’d gotten to understand the real Russ - the Russ he hid under his confident and brash façade. During the pandemic, they’d spent hours every day corresponding for work and before she knew it, he had become an important part of her life. She had fallen for this loving idiot and he made her happier than she’d been in a long time. She just needed to make sure those nosy agents of hers only found out about them when she was ready.


	5. As Good as It Gets.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Riley and Zack's relationship goes from strength to strength; Mac and Riley try and bridge the distance forming between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please listen to Music Sounds Better with You by Stardust and Runaway by The Corrs for this chapter. I couldn't get those songs out of my head when writing this and they worked their way into the story, perfectly. I love those songs and they bring something so special to Mac and Riley's relationship! I hope you like this chapter, it's currently my favourite. Can't wait to hear your feedback !! (Warning: minor smut at the beginning.)

**_Two Months Later…_ **

****

**_At Zack’s Apartment…_ **

****

Riley was half asleep as she snuggled up to the warm, hard body currently spooning her. She felt his lips trail kisses gently down her shoulders as she awoke. His arms wrapped tight around her body while his hands wandered across her hips. As he nibbled on her ear as his hands stroked up her stomach to gently cup her both her breasts and then pinch her hardening nipples. She gasped and he took the chance to claim her lips in a passionate kiss that left her breathless. Riley pulled back from the kiss; giggling as she flipped herself over and straddled him.

“If you keep waking me up like that, I’m never leaving this bed.”, Riley giggled as she placed kisses down his neck. She rolled her hips against his and Zack groaned deeply into her ears, sending fissions of pleasure through her body.

Zack grabbed her ass while he laughed deliciously in her ear, “Baby, if that’s all I need to do to achieve that, then I’m waking you up like this. Every. Single. Time.”

Zack lifted her hips and Riley angled herself over his arousal. She moaned loudly as she slid slowly on to him. They stared deep into each other’s eyes as Riley began to ride him at a sensuous pace. They moved in tandem, as they worked to bring each other pleasure. She contracted her inner muscles, earning an intense moan from Zack and he flipped her onto her back and ran kisses down her neck. Zack ignited an intense pace, engulfing Riley into a sea of sizzling pleasure. Instinctively, she raised her hips and allowed him in deeper. Riley moaned out his name as he filled her. Wrapping her legs tighter around his waist; she physically begged him to be closer when the urge to melt into him overtook her. As they both reached a beautiful climax, Riley wrapped herself around this awe-inspiring man of hers. As he kissed her down from her climax, she counted her lucky stars she had found him. Her heart was finally letting someone other than Mac in, and she was glad it was Zack.

Later that morning Riley and Zack sat at his kitchen island having some pancakes and eggs that Zack had whipped up. Home Rec be damned, he sure knew his way around the kitchen. He was constantly feeding her, and she wasn’t complaining; It was all going to her ass anyway, she laughed to herself.

“Your Mom must be a great cook, these pancakes should be illegal for being this good!”, Riley said as she stuffed another bit of pancakes in her mouth.

Zack smiled and shook his head his beautiful girlfriend, currently inhaling the stack pancakes he had made for her, “Actually my dad taught me how to make them. Before he died, we would make pancakes every Sunday morning. Then we’d make Latkes and eggs every morning during Hannukah. So, when I make them, they bring back all those memories. Seeing you enjoy them this much makes it that much sweeter”, Zack leaned in and took Riley’s lips in a soft kiss.

Riley’s heart melted at his words and she wrapped her arm around his neck to deepen the kiss. She pulled back and smiled up to him, “Your dad seemed like a great guy, baby. I can only imagine how much you must miss him.”

Zack smiled sadly and caressed her cheek with his hand, “I miss him every day; he taught me how to ride a bike, how to cook and how to be a man to woman you loved. I got lucky to have the time I did with him. I was even luckier to have an amazing stepdad who picked up the baton of raising me and never dropped it. Not even once…not even when I wanted him to.”

“Thank God he didn’t, they both made you the man you are. That man is pretty amazing”, Riley wrapped both arms around him and hugged him.

Zack held her tight and smiled, “My Mom did most of the hard work. She’s my true hero.”, Zack pulled back and look deeply into Riley’s eyes, “She lost her soulmate and carried on with so much strength and grace. Then she found what she likes to call her ‘life mate’, it made me so happy”

“Life mate? What is that?”, Riley asked.

“My Mom always said my Dad was her soul mate. He was the one her soul was created for. To her, they were forever connected, their love unconditional. She could always be her full self and trust that Dad understood what was going on in her head even when others didn’t. She knew he would be always be by her side and nothing short of death would change that. But when he died and she met my stepdad, she found a companion for life. Someone she loved deeply because they chose to love and dedicate their lives to being together. She loves my stepdad but they both know they’ve each had their soulmates. Now they get to choose their life mates.”, Zack smiled as his words sank deep into Riley’s brain.

She had always had a little belief in the idea of soul mates but to hear Zack describe it, moved something in her she had been running away from. As Zack let her go to clean up after their meal, Riley replayed his words in her head. As she thought about what a soul mate truly was, Mac’s smile, his laugh and the face he pulled when solving a problem in his head flashed before her. She pushed the thoughts aside because regardless of whether deep down she thought Mac was her soulmate or not, it didn’t matter. She had a wonderful man in front of her that could easily be her life mate. That thought excited her. Their relationship had been going from strength to strength and she couldn’t wait to see where they would end up. She just had to stop thinking about Mac…

**_A few Days later…at the Phoenix War room_ **

****

It was night and Riley had said late to work on some coding she hadn’t time to finish because of an op they had been on. She sat typing away at her laptop when she heard a knock behind her. She turned to see Matty smiiling at her.

“Still here? Don’t you have a home to go to?”, Matty said as walked into the room and found a seat.

Riley laughed and continued typing, “I do, but I won’t be able to sleep if I don’t finish this damn coding.”

Matty tilted her head and raised an eyebrow, “I wasn’t born yesterday. What’s really bothering you? Did you and Zack have an argument?”

Riley gave a small smile and shook her head, “No of course not, he’s great…honestly he really is.”

Matty gave an understanding smile and spoke, “So it’s blondie then.”

Riley’s head snapped towards Matty in shock. How the hell had she figured that out. She should be surprised but it was Matty, and Riley had always been bad at lying to her. Just ask Aubrey.

“Mac and I are fine. First Russ and now you, is there something I don’t know”, scoffed Riley.

“No, you’re just bad at lying Riley. I’ve seen how you both have become distant recently. Maybe it’s the focus and energy you both have been putting into your relationships. You feel like you’ve neglected your friendship a little bit, huh?”, Matty asked.

Surrendering with a smile, Riley decided to open up; there was no point lying to Matty, “It just feels like with each day that has passed, I see him less. I can’t fully blame him; Zack has taken up a lot of my free time. I also don’t want to get in way of Mac and Desi working on their relationship by whining about not seeing my best friend.”

“Well, Riley I don’t think that’s anything to worry about. In our line of work, we rarely get to find love and it’s even harder to find those we trust. You’ve found both, so don’t be so hard on yourself for wanting to protect that. Trust me, I know…”, Matty smiled at her as she got up and squeezed Riley’s hand goodbye.

Left alone in the War Room, Riley thought about Matty’s words. She had been distancing herself from Mac because of her feelings. She thought that would be for the best, but It was only making things worse. She realised that losing her friendship with Mac was worse than anything she could imagine. Just as she decided to text him, her phone pinged, and she saw a text from Mac.

_Riles, I hate that I haven_ _’_ _t seen you in so long._

_So, you gotta come round for OG movie night. No excuses!_ _See you next Friday? 80s action movie marathon? xx_

Riley smiled and texted back:

_You got it, Angus. I_ _’_ _ll bring the Whiskey and Pizza, and you bring the Beer_ _! xx_

Putting her phone away, Riley finally felt some peace. She decided it was foolish to let herself get in the way of her friendship with Mac. She was with Zack now and he made her happy. She needed to stop being so stupid and just enjoy her friendship with Mac because it meant everything to her.

****

****

****

****

****

**_A week later… At Mac’s House for OG Movie night (Oh its back on y’all! As it should)_ **

Mac and Riley sat on his couch laughing at the absurd genius that was RoboCop. They had spent most of the day watching old 80s action movies and this was the most fun Mac had had in a while. Truth was, this wasn’t the same with Desi. This was his and Riley’s thing and it always would be.

Riley turned mid-laugh to look at Mac, “I argue that the plot of this movie itself deserves a shot. I mean come on, a robot cop??”, Riley snorted as Mac shook his head in disagreement.

Mac pointed a finger as he struggled to speak in between laughs, “Oh hell no, Riles. We decided the plot wasn’t included. We’re already four shots up with the plot holes. Don’t do this to me”

Riley moved forward to grab her beer from the coffee table, “Ain’t my fault you can’t take your liquor. You actually went to college, Mac. Come on, you can do better”, Riley smiled as she took a swig of her beer.

Mac laughed and shook his head. He really had missed this. The words had come out before he could help it. Damn alcohol.

“I’ve really missed this, Riles. Just us, hanging out. I didn’t realise how much I would until you moved out. I got so used to being around you during quarantine, especially after Bozer moved in with Leanna. It was just us and I guess that made your moving out, harder.”, Mac smiled sadly, and Riley felt her heart lurch.

She had missed him more than he would ever know. The first few weeks of being in her new apartment had been rough. She had had a lot of struggle getting to sleep. After their undercover picnic, Mac had given her his red flannel shirt to keep warm. She had forgotten to give it back and went home with it. That night she snuggled up with it and got the best sleep she had had in months. A few days later she had returned it and Mac had told her to keep it, that it looked better on her anyway. He would never truly understand just how much that had meant to her.

“I’ve missed this too, Mac; especially all the stupid stuff we would do, during lockdown.”, Riley replied.

Mac laughed as he remembered the science experiments, he would rope her into conducting with him. The video games she consistently beat him at, or even the impromptu dance parties they would start at the drop of a hat. Seeing Riley dance with joy as they played their favourite songs; that was his favourite. 

It sparked an idea within him. Ever since Desi moved in and Riley and Zack became serious, it had been even harder for them to spend time together and connect. He felt a void growing between them and he was determined to bridge the gap again. He figured what better way to start than an impromptu dance party.

Mac got up from the couch and reached out a hand for Riley, “Oh you mean like an impromptu dance party?”

Riley giggled as she took his hand, “Oh my God, you’re not serious, are you?”

Mac laughed as he drew her in closer, “Try me”, he whispered. He turned around, muted the movie, picked up his phone and connected it to his speakers.

Riley eyed him suspiciously, “Oh you’re on MacGyver. What song?”

“The only song; our song, Riles”, Mac replied as he smiled at the happiness that illuminated from Riley’s face.

Butterflies burst in Riley’s stomach. She knew exactly what he would play. She questioned if she could do this normally, but once she heard the opening notes of ‘ _Music Sounds Better with_ _You_ ’, by Stardust; the memories of quarantine came flooding back. She knew there was no one else she would rather dance to this song with, and nowhere else she would rather be.

Mac and Riley laughed as he grabbed her and spun them around. Their song transported them to a time where all they had was each other. When the outside world seemed bleak, unjust and just stepping outside seemed dangerous; they had these moments to keep them going. As the lyrics and music filled them, they sang and danced together in happiness; finding the comfort only they could provide each other.

**_Oooooh baby  
I feel right. _**

**_The music sounds better with you_ **

Mac extended his arms and spun Riley around until her back was to his chest. Riley felt safe and Mac felt at peace. She spun out of his embrace and danced around the room; both of them then jumping on the couch and laughing harder than they had in a while. The music blasted and travelled through the house, washing their worries and concerns away with it.

**_Love might,_ **

**_Bring us back together._ ** **_I feel so good_ **

**_I feel right  
The music sounds better with you_ **

****

Mac and Riley fell into a gentle sway as they hugged. Mac pulled back from the hug slightly to look down at Riley. As the light from the sunset peaked through the windows, they illuminated the beautiful hazel of her eyes. His heart skipped a beat and he swallowed down hard. As the song ended and they continued slowly sway to a song only they could hear; Mac told himself to let go and get back to the movie. For some reason he just couldn’t.

They gently rested their foreheads against each other as they both caught their breaths. Mac slowly rubbed circles on Riley’s back and Riley knew she should pull back and get back to the movie, but she couldn’t move.

_You mean you don’t want to!_

Mac spun them around slowly and sighed. He brought her in for hug and she held onto him tight.

“Hey, Riles? Will you sing to me? Please? I’ve missed hearing you sing”, Mac whispered.

Riley smiled sadly as she remembered all the times Mac would ask her to sing during quarantine, “Sure, Mac. What song?”, she pulled back and stared in those ocean eyes of his.

“That song you spent days, learning on the guitar; that was always my favourite”, Mac smiled, and Riley retuned it in earnest. She remembered the song he meant.

During quarantine she had challenged herself to learn songs on the guitar and sing them. ‘ _Runaway_ ’ by The Corrs had been tricky but Mac had encouraged her, and she finally cracked it. It had become his favourite and he would always ask her to sing it; so, she did…

_Say it's true, there's nothing like me and you  
Not alone, tell me you feel it too  
And I would run away.  
I would run away, I would run away.  
I would run away, with you_

As Riley sang, Mac felt a peace overcome him. Her voice was angelic, and he felt goosebumps just like he had, the first time he heard her sing. He had no idea she could until lockdown; once he heard her, he became hooked and she would always indulge him.

_Cause I have fallen in love_  
With you, no, never have  
I'm never gonna stop falling in love, with you

****

Mac felt something deep inside of him shift as the heaven Riley created with her voice wrapped around him. Mac refused to analyse what it was, all he knew was that this moment of peace and calm was his safe space. Riley was his safe space; his best friend, and he was glad to have her in his life; especially now...

Riley finished singing the song and pulled back to look at Mac’s face; he seemed far away somewhere, “Hey Mac where did you go?”

“It’s been two months since Desi moved in and honestly it’s been hard.” Mac smiled sadly. Riley was the only person he could be this honest with.

Riley felt the pang of jealousy she usually felt when she remembered Mac and Desi living together. She pushed that aside and reminded herself that Mac wanted to make this work with Desi. Even if she thought it was too soon, she was committed to being the support he needed.

Riley held onto Mac’s shoulders and she gave him a reassuring smile, “I get it Mac, it’s not always easy living with someone. Just be open and communicate with Desi. I see how hard you are both trying, give her the chance to help you. You can do it, Mac.”

Mac nodded and smiled down at her, “Thanks Riles”, he whispered.

As they continued to hug and sway to non-existent music, Mac realised that no matter what obstacles in life he faced; they all seemed small when Riley stood by his side.


	6. There's Something About Riley.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone special to both Mac and Riley comes home after a long mission, Riley celebrates her birthday with Zack and the team and Mac comes to a massive realisation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told myself to wait and post this in a few days, but I've sat with this chapter for over a week. I didn't stop writing, it just came out. This one is tense with a whole lot of angst. I hope you enjoy it. Sometimes we have to break things in in order to put them back together properly. Thanks for reading guys 💕

**_Two Weeks Later…_ **

****

Riley’s stomach was overcome with butterflies as she stood waiting at the arrival gate. She had been waiting for this moment for more than two years, and the day had finally come. She paced up down as she waited, silently pinching herself in hopes that this wasn’t a dream.

“Riles, you’re going to wear a hole in ground if you keep pacing like that.”, Mac smiled at the nerves radiating from Riley. When she stopped momentarily to roll her eyes at him, he gave a gentle laugh. He understood her nerves, today was a big day for the both of them.

Today was the day, Jack came home.

Jack had successfully hunted down Kovacs and he was coming home, in one piece and alive. When Mac got the news, he had immediately called Riley and her relief and excitement had truly warmed him. Now here they were at the arrival gate waiting for him, hoping he was still at least the same Jack they knew.

They had kept in recurring contact with him during his mission, but it wasn’t the same as having him here, in person, in the flesh. He couldn’t wait to see him and even more so, he was so happy Jack was back in time for Riley’s birthday. He had done his best to sort this out in time for her. Her birthday was in two weeks and he couldn’t think of better birthday present than having the man who was basically her dad, come back alive after defeating the bad guys.

Riley finally calmed enough to stop pacing as Jack’s arrival time neared. As she stood beside Mac, Riley felt his eyes on her. She turned to look him; his expression was soft, and reassuring. Mac was the only other person that understood how much today meant. The smile he gave, warmed her heart and when he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, bringing her in for hug, she held onto him tight.

“Don’t worry so much, Riles. It’s going to be okay, I promise”, Mac whispered.

She looked up at him and felt the reassurance from his eyes. Regardless of everything, he always made her feel safe. He let go and instead held her hand. He squeezed it, giving her the reassurance, she needed. She smiled and looked up from their hands, looking ahead for Jack.

As if he knew, she saw figure emerge from the gates that looked just like him. She didn’t want to get her hopes up, it was almost like seeing a ghost, but it had to be him.

“Mac, you can see him right, it isn’t just me going crazy is it?”, Riley asked.

Mac smiled as he saw Jack walk up, swagger through the roof and a big killer watt smile, “Oh yeah, Riles. That’s him, alright!”, he laughed.

Riley jumped and started running towards Jack with arms wide open, “JACK!!!”, she squealed as Jack ran towards her with arms wide open. They collided with a massive hug. Tears spilled from Riley as the fear and worry she had held in for him finally disappeared. All the relief she felt from finally being able to hug him overtook her.

“Hey, Honey! Damn it, I’ve missed you Ri”, Jack rasped with emotion as he hugged Riley for dear life. Not quite sure if this was all real. He opened his eyes and saw Mac walking up with a massive smile. Riley let go long enough for him to bring Mac into the hug.

“Welcome home, man”, Mac said with a laugh.

“Glad to be back! Can we get a beer or something, I just took down a big-time terrorist.”, Jack laughed and they both joined in.

****

****

****

**_A Few hours later…back at the War Room._ **

****

The whole team, old and new celebrated Jack’s return in the War Room. The Phoenix was the closest destination from the airport, so they dropped by to let everyone welcome Jack back. Jack was glad to see everyone, and as he was given the low down on what had transpired while he was gone, he sat amazed. He had heard bits and drabs from Mac and Riley, but it sure helped to fill in some of blanks about Phoenix shutting down, Russ buying it and of course Codex.

He also found himself watching Mac and Desi closely. Mac had told him they had gotten together, and he had told him parts of the turmoil the Codex situation put them through. He didn’t know how to feel about them, it seemed like a miss-match, but he wasn’t one to tell anyone how to run their life. He could tell in Mac’s eyes he was conflicted about being with Desi. He had suspected something between Mac and Riley, but he dismissed it when Mac and Desi got together. Now he wasn’t so sure he was wrong. Mac’s reaction to his mentioning of Zack just about confirmed it.

“So Riley, when am I meeting this Zack guy. You know I gotta have a word with him.”, Jack said with half serious, half joking look.

Riley rolled her eyes and sighed, “Really Jack? You’ve been back all of five minutes!”

“You knew about Zack?”, Mac asked surprised.

Jack looked between Mac and Riley and felt a slight shift in atmosphere. Obviously, Riley hadn’t been as forthcoming about her relationship, with Mac.

“It just came up in conversation, he asked me about dating and I told him”, Riley said awkwardly. Mac gave a short nod in acceptance, but Riley could see the slight hurt in his eyes. She didn’t mean to hide Zack from him but now that she thought about it; that was what she had done.

Feeling the atmosphere change, Russ decided to lightning the mood, “Well I for one am happy to finally meet the famous Jack Dalton!”

Jack and Russ both smiled and shook hands. Jack planned on speaking with Taylor later and let him have a piece of his mind about the way he had treated Mac and Riley. In this kind of work, trust was everything. As much as it seemed the team had resolved their Codex issues and had moved past it, he still needed to speak to the guy and let know him that stuff like that wouldn’t run while he was here. He trusted Mac with his life, he knew Russ would get there too.

What he didn’t account for though was the way Taylor looked at Matty. Every now and then he would notice a look between the two. If it was what he thought it was, then holy Elvis, he didn’t expect that. Taylor? Really? Matty was a good judge of character, so if Matty liked it, then he loved it.

The team spent the evening all catching up, drinking beer, and even he, found himself bonding with Russ. He wasn’t off the hook yet, but he could see he wasn’t all bad. As it got later, the team started dropping one by one. 

Soon it was just Jack and Riley left in the War Room. Jack looked at his girl and wondered how she was coping. She tended to keep a strong front on for those she loved. He could always tell by her eyes, when something was wrong. He looked at her carefully as she smiled at him. Her eyes were weary, troubled like there was a big, looming decision she had to make. 

He smiled at Riley as he took her over to the chairs to sit, “Riley, honey; you wanna tell me what’s bothering that pretty head of yours?”

Riley laughed and shook her head, “Why would there be anything wrong? You’re finally home, Jack.”, she moved closer and grabbed his hand, “Just in time for my birthday too! This is perfect. Everything is perfect, stop worrying.”

“You know, I know you better than that, baby-girl. We ain’t leaving this room until you tell me what’s wrong”, Jack replied.

Riley swallowed hard and looked down. She knew better than to try to hide from Jack. Just like Matty, it was hard to hide anything from him. She wanted his comfort, his support and reassurance. He was like a father to her, but she was terrified of what he may think. How much would she really tell him. Could she tell him that she had fallen for Mac? Could she tell him that Zack had ask her to move to New York to start a new job that had always been a dream for her? Where would she start?

_From the beginning Davis_

“Since you’ve been gone, Mac and I started to rely on each other more. We figured out each other’s rhythms, moves and instincts. We became really close and he became my best friend. He supported me through my break-up with Billy and Aubrey, he supported me through missing you. When everything with Codex happened, I rushed to defend him. I was there with him, trying to protect him when he went rogue. I risked my life because I trusted him. Somewhere along the line, I realised that I had feelings for Mac, that I had fallen in love with him. Then he and Desi got back together. But It got all screwed up when Codex and then the pandemic happened. I moved out and tried to move on, I even met Zack. He is one of the most wonderful men I’ve ever known; I don’t want to screw things up with him! He’s good to and for me; I don’t want to mess that up. A friend of his offered me a dream job in New York, he wants me to take it and for us to move. A part of me wants that so bad, Jack but I don’t know if I can leave you…leave Mac. Leave everyone.”, Riley felt months of unshed tears fall as Jack moved over to wrap her in a tight hug.

“Oh honey, you’ve been feeling a lot of feelings, huh?”, Jack whispered as he held her tight and rocked her. Riley nodded and buried her head further into his chest. For the first time in a while, she felt safe enough to feel all of her feelings.

“I’m glad you were finally honest about your feelings for Mac, I’ve been waiting a long time for that.”, Jack continued. When Riley popped her head up in shock, he gave a gentle laugh, “Come on Ri, you think I couldn’t hear the change in the way you spoke about him when we communicated through burners? I may not be a genius like old boy wonder, but I do know people. I also know you, Ri…”

Riley sighed as Jack gently wiped her tears away. He was still cradling her like a baby, and she welcomed it. She needed his comfort and his reassurance.

“Honey, I can’t tell you what Mac does or doesn’t feel but I know that he’d lay his life down for you. This Zack guy sounds like a good man and If he makes you happy and you honestly think you have a future with him, then Riley, honey; don’t let anyone ruin that. But if you’re just running away from being in love with Mac, then that ain’t right on you or him. “, Jack placed a kiss and Riley’s forehead and kept her in his arms.

They sat in silence as Riley took in his words. He was right, she had to make this decision with the right intentions not because of fear but because for once she had to think about what was best for her. Those who loved her would support her regardless and she truly believed that. As her and Jack went on to talk about his missions and share laughter, she took solace in the fact that Jack was with her every step of the way. No matter what she decided.

****

****

****

****

****

****

****

**_Two weeks later at Riley’s Birthday dinner._ **

Riley buzzed around the kitchen as she prepared for her birthday meal tonight. This was her first dinner party and what better occasion to show off what she had learnt in Anita’s class; than for her own birthday. Zack had been a saint, he had cooked all the meals with her, and they had spent the day together cooking, chatting and doing their best to stay out of the bedroom. The doorbell rang and Zack got up to get the door, he was always trying make things easier for her. She truly appreciated that.

Zack opened the door and there stood Mac, Desi, Bozer, Jack and Riley’s Mom, Diane. He had met Diane already and Riley had spoken a lot about the others. He almost felt like he knew them already.

“Hey, guys. Come on in, Riley’s just in the kitchen”, Zack stepped aside; with Mac and Desi stepping inside first then Bozer, Diane and Jack. He showed them through to the dining room and they all took their seats. Riley came out of the kitchen beaming from ear to ear. She always looked beautiful, but when she smiled, it was on a whole other level. Zack smiled as he watched the woman he loved, hug her family.

“Hey guys! The food is almost ready so I hope you’re hungry.”, Riley turned and gestured to Zack to come closer. Zack moved over to hug Diane, “Hey, Diane. It’s good to see you again, you look great!”

Diane blushed as she always did when Zack complimented her. Riley was beginning to think her mom had a crush.

“A gentleman as always, Zachariah”, Diane replied, smiling. Riley rolled her eyes at Mom’s insistence on using his full name.

“Mom, really?”, Riley laughed

“His mother gave him that name, so that’s what I’m calling him, honey”, Diane replied. Riley shook her head and laughed. She let go of Zack and moved over to Jack, hugging him from the side.

“And this is Jack, he’s basically like my dad.”, she flipped her hair and looked comically at Zack, “So no pressure, baby!”

Both men laughed, and Jack walked up to shake his hand, Zack gave a firm handshake and Jack was impressed. Growing up his dad always told him; “A man with a confident, firm handshake, is a man to take to the bank.”.

From all he had heard from Riley, Diane and even Bozer, this one was keeper, “I’ve heard good things about how you’ve been treating my baby-girl, Parker; make sure it stays that way.”

Riley rolled her eyes and Zack gave a confident smile, “Mr Dalton, one thing I can assure you is that any man would be a fool to let someone like Riley down.” Zack looked over at Riley lovingly and Jack notice how she blushed. One thing was for sure, Riley truly cared about this guy and Zack was head over heels in love with Riley. That honestly warmed his heart.

Looking over at Mac, Jack wondered how he felt about this. Mac was terrible at hiding his feelings and even now he could see in Mac’s eyes, the jealousy he was trying his best to contain. A jealousy, that Jack knew; Mac had no idea of yet, and that didn’t bode well.

“And this is Mac, Desi and Bozer. We all work at the Phoenix together”, Riley gave them all the ‘stick to the cover’ look and turned to smile at Zack.

“Hey Zack, it great to finally meet you.”, said Desi.

Zack moved forward to shake the hand Desi offered. “It’s great to meet you too, Desi; I’ve heard such great things about all of you. Great to put names to faces”, Zack gave his most charming smile, the smile that made Riley blush and her insides mushy.

Mac looked over at Riley and noticed her blushing, he figured Riley must really like this guy. He very rarely saw her blush like that. Zack moved over to shake Mac’s hand, clearing his throat; Mac introduced himself.

“Hey, Zack. Good to meet you”, Mac said as they shook hands.

“You too, Mac.”, Zack smiled, and Mac reluctantly returned it.

Bozer stepped forward with his hand out, “I’m Bozer, Riley’s big bro”, Bozer was all smiles as he made sure to emphasise that older part.

Riley rolled her eyes and laughed, “Bozer over here seems to be feeling salty. Just ignore him, honey.”

Zack looked at both Riley and Bozer; laughing, “He’s just looking after his little sis.”

Riley rolled her eyes and threw her head back in exasperation, “Ugh! Zack, don’t encourage him!” Riley giggled. Bozer laughed and stuck his tongue out. As Riley’s eyes landed on Mac, she noticed how uncomfortable he looked, and she didn’t fail to notice how his eyes fixed on the hand she placed on Zack’s chest. It seemed like Mac still had reservations about Zack.

Everyone sat down to dinner and the conversation was light and easy. Not too deep as they couldn’t really speak about work. They spoke about movies, world news and Riley told them about how her and Zack met. She noticed that Mac was really quiet during that part. Tonight, Mac didn’t say much at all. His mood was affecting her, and she was trying her hardest to ignore it.

“So, Mac; I hear you’re an engineer for the Phoenix. I have some engineering friends back in New York. They were always so busy; I’m assuming it’s much of the same? Is being an engineer for a thinktank similar?”, Zack was being friendly and trying to encourage some conversation with Mac. He knew how important Mac was to her and she loved how much effort he was putting in. She just wished Mac would do the same, especially on her birthday of all days.

“erm…yeah its busy. Always trying to find ways to fix things and help in the best way I can. In a way that others can carry on with even when I’m not around.”, Mac gave a tight smile.

“Sounds really cool, honestly”, replied Zack

“Thanks. I hear you’re a corporate litigator. New York seems like the perfect place for that. Why come here to L.A.?”

“I like the laid-back nature of L.A., I could, however, do without the constant traffic and terrible public transport.”, everyone laughed in agreeance. Well, everyone but Mac.

“Interesting.”, Mac gave him a blank look. A look that caused Zack to look over to her, and give her a ‘hey, I’m trying here’ expression. Riley had seen about enough, she got up and started to clear plates. When Zack started to help, she halted him.

“Zack, honey you’ve been great; you relax. Mac, could you help me out with these?”, Mac looked at her, gave a tight smile and began picking up plates, “Sure, Riles.”

Riley and Mac walked into her kitchen and Mac closed the door with his foot. Riley put the plates in the sink and spun around instantly.

“Mac, what is up with you?”, she eyed him closely.

“Riles – “, Mac started.

“Don’t Riles me, Mac. It’s my birthday and you’re supposed to be my best friend. You’re treating Zack like a hostile enemy. All he’s done is try and get to know you because he knows how important you are to me.”

“Oh, am I?”, Mac spat out

“What? Of course! What is that supposed to mean?”, Riley puzzled as to where that came from.

“It means, it hasn’t felt like I’m important to you in a while, Riles. Ever since he came into the picture, I’ve been tossed aside like last night’s dinner”, Mac spat out in frustration. For the life of him, he didn’t understand why he was acting like this.

“Okay number one, he has a name Mac, so use it and two I’m sorry I haven’t been around as much. It’s not intentional; you of all people should know…”, Riley became defensive, she didn’t mean to, but Mac had a way of getting under her skin. His blues eyes were burning into her; even now she wanted to jump him. That made her feel guilty and she was probably taking that out on him a little bit, but she couldn’t help it.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”, Mac asked.

“Oh, come on Mac, are you seriously telling me that after you and Desi started dating, after you moved in with each other; we haven’t seen less of each other?”, Riley kept telling herself to shut up but months of frustration we’re seeping out of her and she was doing a crap job of reigning it in.

“That’s not the same-”

“Why, Mac? Because Zack and I are new? Which is rich as you and Desi can’t seem to decide if you want to be together a week at a time”, Riley spat out. She instantly regretted what she said. Mac seemed hurt and she felt like a real bitch.

“Mac, I’m sorry I didn’t mean- “

“Didn’t mean what? That your perfect relationship with this new guy should be an example to Desi and I?”, Mac felt his blood boiling with anger, but it was at himself. He felt helpless. He felt like he was losing Riley, to her relationship and even to his troubles with Desi. He could see it in her eyes.

“No Mac, of course not! I’m sorry…I didn’t mean that. That’s not what I’m saying. I just don’t understand what your issue with Zack still is.”, replied Riley.

Mac walked closer to her and Riley’s breath hitched; being this close to Mac, taking in his cologne was driving her crazy. Mac sighed and dragged a hand through his hair, “I just don’t trust him. Something about him seems off that’s all. He’s too perfect, at least he’s trying to be. It’s almost too good to be true.”

Riley’s face dropped and morphed into a look of confusion; she couldn’t believe Mac right now. What was wrong with him? Riley straightened and folded her arms, “Oh so a guy as handsome, thoughtful, successful and kind as him wouldn’t want to be with a plain jane like me?”

“Riles, of course not! Any man in their right mind would want to be with you! You know that’s not what I’m saying at all.”

Riley’s heart skipped a beat at his comment, but her anger over-took, “Then what are you saying, Mac? Because right now from where I’m standing, it’s not looking good.”

Riley spun around and grabbed onto the sink until her knuckles went white. She wanted Mac to like Zack. She didn’t quite understand why it meant so much - but it did.

Mac sighed and looked up to the ceiling; he was making a massive mess of this. He wasn’t being the friend she needed. He was being irrational, and he needed to do better. Mac moved up closer to Riley’s until she could feel the heat from his body, “Riles, you’re right, I haven’t been my best self and I’m sorry. I’m being overprotective and you don’t need that from me. I’m on my best behaviour from now on. Zack seems like a good guy and he’s one hell of a lucky man to have you in his life. And so am I.”

Riley wanted to be mad at Mac because it was easier than feeling what she really felt for him. He always knew what to say; even now as he remained so close to her, she hated how much she wanted him to wrap his arms around her and pull her in for a hug. She hated how much she wanted him to place kisses down her neck. She hated how; when he began stroking her arms apologetically, her skin set on fire. She shouldn’t be feeling like this, not now…not when she was with Zack. She sighed and turned around with Mac stepping back a little.

“It’s okay, Mac. I get it. We’re good but please let’s have a nice night. It’s my birthday after all”, Riley gave him a smile and Mac returned it as he stepped closer and pulled her into a hug, “You got it, Riles. Happy Birthday!.” Mac hugged her tight and stepped aside as they went back to join everyone else.

Riley and Mac returned to the dining table all smiles, like they didn’t just go at each other. Riley figured they needed that confrontation. Mac had seemed on edge all night and after getting some of her frustration out, she felt a bit better, she figured Mac did too. Zack looked at her and gave her a ‘is everything okay now?’ look which, she responded with a nod and a smile.

For the rest of the evening, to his credit Mac got involved and was better behaved. When Jack acted like the crazy man he was, Mac was a great joke partner, and everything was running smoothly. Well, it was until the topic of New York was brought up.

“So, Zack, what’s the best part of New York?”, asked Diane.

“Got to be the coffee and the Pizza. The entertainment is second to none.”, he looked over at Riley and smiled, “I’d love to take Riley to see a Broadway show, she’s so obsessed with the 80s; she’d love Mama Mia”, Zack said as he winked at Riley. Riley winked and giggled back in response.

“Aww Riley you’re gonna love going to shows, when you accept that job offer” said Diane excitedly.

“Just don’t take her to Wicked again”, laughed Jack

“That’s true, last time she was obsessed! So many repeat viewings. Have you decided more about the job, Riley?”, asked Bozer.

Riley froze and looked straight up at her Mom, Jack and Bozer, eyes wide open. She had forgotten to warn them that she hadn’t told Mac yet and now before she had the chance to - the cat had been let out of the bag.

“What job offer are you talking about?”, asked Mac. He didn’t raise his voice or even show anything facially, but she could see in his eyes that he was beyond angry. Riley swallowed hard as Mac looked at her expressionless.

“A friend of Zack’s offered me a role as a Certified Ethical Hacker for the Pentagon, working from the New York branch. Zack is thinking of going back to New York so this sort of worked out together.”, Riley said nervously.

Mac looked down for a moment, quiet as a mouse, he then looked up at everyone, “You all knew about this?”

Jack, Diane and Bozer looked at each other nervously and gave a small nod. Mac eyes returned back to Riley and she felt her stomach drop.

“So, when were you planning on telling me? When you’d already shacked up in New York with him?”, Mac spat out.

“No, Mac of course not, I haven’t even decided, it’s still new.” Riley said

“So new that everyone knew before me? Just like you told everyone about Zack before me too?”, Mac replied, visibly hurt.

“Mac, it’s not like that at all” Riley said

“Really, Riles? Then please tell what it’s like? Because from where I’m standing - this looks like you’re hiding shit from me again. What is happening? Have I done something to make you distrust me or continually distance yourself from me? I told myself that I was being irrational but now I know I’m not. For months now, you’ve pushed me away and out of your life. I don’t get it Riles, what did I do?” Mac was starting to look visibly pained and Riley was acutely aware of how quiet the others were. He was still calling her Riles so maybe he wasn’t as angry as he looked.

“Mac, that’s not fair. I haven’t been pushing you away, we’ve both just been busy- “

“That’s bullshit and you know it! I’ve tried for months and every time I think we’re good, I find out one more thing I wasn’t aware of. You plan to move out, without even telling me until the week before you were meant to go, you hide your relationship from me but yet tell everyone else, and the icing on the cake? You plan to move to the other side of country and I’m the last to know…again.”, Mac’s voice was louder now. He stood up and dragged his hand through his hair. Riley got up, her mind racing on how to diffuse the situation.

“Mac I’m sorry I didn’t say anything, I didn’t want to bring it up until I knew what I wanted to do.”

“But why? I’m supposed to be your best friend. Why would you wait to tell me until you’ve already decided? Don’t you trust me?”, Mac shouted.

“Of course, I trust you, Mac! You know I do!”

“Then why? Why hide this from me? Did you think I wouldn’t support you just because I’d be sad to see you go? I would always support you going after your dream, Riles. But you didn’t even give me the chance.”, Mac shouted

“But I haven’t decided yet!”, Riley replied

“It doesn’t matter, Riles! You keep pushing me away and I don’t know why! What have I done?”, Mac bellowed.

“Nothing!”, Riley shouted.

Riley felt her heart in her mouth. She couldn’t breathe, she had never seen Mac this hurt. She couldn’t believe they were having this fight in front of everyone. Her heart was breaking because deep down she knew he was right. She had been pushing him away because of her feelings. He was so confused, because to him, he didn’t know why. It all made sense to her now, why Mac seemed to dislike Zack so much.

He didn’t know about her feelings, so the only logical reason for her distance was Zack. She had messed this all up and Mac was hurt, she felt terrible. She realised that she had been hiding from Mac, she had been hiding Zack, and hiding the job from him. She didn’t realise she was doing it, until now.

“Mac, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hide it from you, I really didn’t”, Riley said quietly.

“You promised me I was never alone, you said you’d never leave me. But you left me emotionally, way before you were ever physically gone.”, Mac said hoarsely as a tear ran down his face.

Riley’s heart broke as she saw the look of abandonment in Mac’s eyes. She was trying so hard to protect her heart that she had checked out of her friendship with Mac. She had done it without him even knowing why. Now there was a chance of her physically leaving. She could see how it looked, and it didn’t look good.

Riley opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. Mac looked around at everyone’s concerned and shocked faces. He dragged a hand through his hair and decided it was time for him to leave.

“I think I should go. I’m sorry about this everyone.”, he looked over at Riley, “Happy Birthday, Riley.”, Mac said as he began walking away. Just then, Zack got up to stop him.

“Mac, it’s just a prospective job offer. This is just a case of miscommunication. No decision has been made, yet. Calm down, there’s no need for you to up and leave”, Zack said, trying to calm and salvage the situation somehow. He saw how hurt Riley looked and as much as he thought Mac was completely out of line, he wanted to salvage this for Riley as much as he could.

But for Mac, that was it, that was the final straw he needed to finally snap and release the misplaced anger he had building up. He lunged at Zack, grabbed him by his shirt, and pushed him up against the wall. Zack didn’t even look shocked or alarmed, and that just angered Mac more.

“You of all people have no right to tell me to calm down! You don’t know me, you don’t any of us. You barely even know Riley! You think you can walk into this family and try and rip one of our own out like you’re the only one who loves and cares about her?” Mac shouted.

“Mac, stop! What are you doing?! Let him go!”, Riley cried out.

Mac only saw red; all he saw was the reason Riley was leaving him. The reason the only person he had ever truly let in, was leaving him. Zack was that reason. He couldn’t breathe, he was so angry. It wasn’t until he felt Jack pulling him away that he realised the monumental mistake he had made.

Mac let go of Zack’s shirt collar and stepped back as Jack made a physical barrier between him and Zack. Mac stood looking at everyone in the middle of the room. Every face he looked at gave him a look of either disappointment or anger. The face that truly haunted him was Riley’s. She had tears running down her face and he had never seen her so upset. At that moment, he wished the ground would just swallow him whole. He watched as Zack wrapped his arms around her and she sobbed into his chest. He thought he knew what heartbreak felt like but seeing Riley like this utterly destroyed him.

“Riles, I’m so sorry- “

“I think you should leave Mac” Zack said. It wasn’t a suggestion; it was a warning.

Mac looked over to Jack and Jack shook his head; telling him that right now, him being here wasn’t for the best.

Jack felt for Mac, he knew in that moment Mac had realised just how much he needed Riley. He had always seen a connection between them, and honestly, at one point he had expected them together. But damn was he concerned when he saw the look on Mac’s face whenever Riley spoke about Zack or his name came up.

Mac mumbled words of regret and ran out of Riley’s apartment. No one called after him, no one said anything. Jack hated seeing Mac this lost and he wanted to go after him, but he knew Mac needed to feel what he was feeling right now, by himself. Jack knew he would figure it out, he always did. He just hoped it wasn’t too late…

Mac ran into his truck, started it and drove for hours before finally going home. When he got there, Desi was nowhere to be found. He collapsed on the couch, broken. He had never felt so alone. How had he managed to screw up so bad? He had hurt the one person he cared about the most. The image of how broken Riley looked haunted him to his core. When the sobs finally took over his body, he surrendered. He finally surrendered to all the emotions he had pushed down for years. All the pain, the anger, the jealousy, the guilt and all the love.

In that moment, Mac realised that Riley had his heart. His whole heart – the heart currently breaking; all of its pieces belonged to Riley and Riley alone. She was his world, the reason he never felt truly alone. She was the reason he was still standing after everything he had been through these past couple of years. It was all her. He finally realised that out of fear he had continued to pursue his dysfunctional relationship with Desi and that out of jealousy he had agreed to move in with her too.

Everything hit him all at once and he felt like he couldn’t breathe. He sank to the ground from the couch and sobbed until he physically had no tears left to cry. He had hurt Riley and Desi, ruined Riley’s birthday and worst of all; he had lost the love of his life just as he had finally realised it.


	7. Crazy, Stupid, Us.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mac and Riley both deal with the fallout of last night's dinner; leading them both to make a final decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a great cleanser for me after Chapter 6. Hope you enjoy!

**_The Morning After…_ **

Riley rolled over in bed as her eyes struggled to open. Sighing heavily as she rolled onto her back, she stared up to her ceiling. Flashbacks of last night came flooding back and so did the tears. Shielding her face from the sunlight peeking through, she groaned as her fight with Mac filled her mind. How had she managed to ruin everything so tragically? Riley’s heart ached as she remembered the look on Mac’s face. She sat up, not wanting to be in bed any longer. Her mind kept going back to how bad Mac had lashed out, she had never seen him so angry.

She didn’t completely blame him; he was hurt by her actions. Actions that she never meant to take; but to see him react that way shook her to her core. She had to apologize and repair their broken friendship. She just didn’t know if she could face him. She didn’t know if she could tell him about her feelings.

_Don’t you think you’ve hidden enough from him, Riley?_

Riley had to tell him everything and face the consequences. Face the chance he wouldn’t feel the same, that he would pick Desi or worse; that they would never be as close again. Regardless, she owed him the truth, she couldn’t keep hiding from him anymore. Mac deserved nothing less than her full honesty, so did Zack. 

As she got in her shower and tried to wash away the emotional scars, she prayed for some amazing grace to help her. She got dressed and made some coffee, hoping the caffeine would motivate her into facing what came ahead. As she settled to her coffee, her doorbell rang. Riley sighed deeply and ignored it; hoping whoever it was, would go away. Soon she heard a knock followed by Jack’s voice.

“Riley, honey; I know you’re in there. You gonna let me in or do you wanna see me break this door down?”, Jack called out from outside her door. She blew out a breath and got up. It seemed like her time to face the music was coming sooner than she thought.

Riley opened the door to see Jack’s face soften to a look of concern, when he saw how wrecked she was. Jack came in, closed the door and hugged her tight in one fluid motion, “Oh honey, look at you. I’m sorry baby-girl.”

Riley felt all the tears she had been swallowing, rise up again. As they moved to her couch, Jack cupped her face and wiped them away. He lifted her chin so she would look at him. Riley squeezed her eyes shut and sighed, “Jack, what am I going to do now? Mac hates me…I didn’t mean to hurt him. I was just trying to protect my heart.”

“You know full well that Mac could never hate you. But Ri, what are you trying to protect your heart from, honey?”, Jack asked as he searched her face. He needed Riley to admit what she was really feeling. If her and Mac were ever going to fix this mess, they had to admit what they felt out loud; to themselves and to each other.

“’From being broken”, Riley replied as she held back tears.

“Do you think Mac would break your heart?”

“Not intentionally.”, whispered Riley.

“Do you trust him?”, Jack probed further.

“With my life!”

“Then Riley, honey; answer me this.”, Jack said as he gently lifted her chin. Riley had to face this and she had to face it with her whole heart.

“I want you to answer my question with honesty. Not with what you think you should say or what you think I wanna hear. I want you to answer with your heart. Do you love Mac with everything you have?”

“Yes”, Riley answered without even a moment’s hesitation.

“Do you want a future with him?”

“More than anything”, she said as she nodded; tears welling up in her eyes.

“Then you know what you’ve got to do, honey”, Jack said. He smiled as he gently wiped away the last of her tears.

Riley nodded as she understood what she had to do. As terrified as she was, she had to fight for she wanted. She had to give this her all and hope for the best. If she didn’t, she would never forgive herself.

Jack gave her a big hug and said his good-byes. Then it was just her alone in the middle of her apartment. With a new determination to fix the mess that her and Mac’s relationship had become; she knew the first person she had to speak to was Zack.

**_Meanwhile at Mac’s house…_ **

Mac paced up and down his living room as he waited to for Desi to arrive. He had barely slept after the disaster that was last night. He had cried himself to sleep, finding himself on the floor in the morning. He wallowed in self-pity for a while and then managed to get himself up, shower and down some coffee. He called Desi, asking her to talk; he needed to apologise to her, explain himself and end the relationship they both knew wasn’t working anymore. Regardless of him being in love with Riley, he knew he couldn’t be with Desi anymore. Truth was he probably knew this for a long time but chose to be in denial.

At first, he wanted so badly to fix the mess that had been created when Codex happened. He truly did care for Desi and wanted to honestly try, but now he realised that along the way they both checked out and he continued to stay in this with her in order to not have to face his feelings for Riley.

His mind wandered to Riley, the image of how sad she looked last night returned to him. The image alone grounded him back on his couch as he ran his hands through his hair. He had to apologize to Riley, tell her how he felt and hope to God he hadn’t completely lost her. As bad as it sounded, he didn’t care about Zack, he needed to lay it all out to Riley. Even if she didn’t choose him, especially after how he behaved last night; he owed her his full honesty.

The knock on the door pulled him out of his thoughts. It was time to face the music, he just hoped Desi would eventually forgive him. He walked over to open the door and his stomach knotted up when he saw Desi standing there. He swallowed hard and searched for his voice, “Hey Desi, thank you for coming.”

Desi gave a simple nod and walked in as Mac stepped aside for her. Desi wasn’t sure what to say to Mac. She knew they were over, but she wanted him to be honest with her. To tell her what was going on. She had had a feeling that Mac's feelings towards Riley, were more than friendly for some time now. She wanted to make them work so much, that she had ignored her instincts. His reaction last night, confirmed everything she needed to know. Angus MacGyver may have cared about her like she did him, but he was completely in love with Riley.

Mac stood in front of Desi and dragged his hand through his hair nervously. He didn’t know where to start but he knew he needed to be honest, “Desi, first I want to say that I’m so sorry for last night. I was completely out of line and I honestly never meant to hurt or embarrass you. I’ve had to face a lot things I’ve been in denial about and that doesn’t excuse what I did, but I hope it goes some way to helping you understand.”

Desi gave a small nod and sighed, “Then just be honest with me, Mac. That’s all I ask.”

Mac nodded and steeled himself to be as honest as possible, “The truth is Desi, after Codex and the mess that created between us, I wanted to fix it so badly that didn’t think things through. We both know we had a tough time making this work both times - but after Codex, after I realised how badly I hurt you, all I wanted to do was fix it because I do truly care about you, Desi.

“I know, Mac”, said Desi, as Mac continued.

“For a long time, I’ve been in denial about my feelings for Riley. She’s my best friend and I guess I wanted to believe the loyalty and affection I felt towards her was down to our friendship. Last night I finally realised I was wrong. I have to face this and be honest, I can’t hide from it anymore. I’m just sorry I dragged you along into this mess. I’m truly sorry Desi.”, Mac let go of air he didn’t know he was holding. He felt like crap for dragging Desi into all this. Because of his fear, his denial; he had hurt Riley and he had hurt Desi too.

“Mac, for a while, I’ve had a feeling that you felt something more for Riley. I guess like you, I wanted to overlook it, to ignore it; thinking it was just my paranoia. I see how you look at her. Even on the Denvers Op, your eyes only left her to watch Denvers. I thought I was just being insecure because of how close you both are and how hard I wanted to fix us. But I realise now that as much as we care about each other, we were never in love with each other. So, I can’t hold this on you only. I think we both wanted to avoid failing and giving up so much that we pushed for this, when really we were never meant to be.”, Desi looked at Mac with sadness as she thought about how much they had both gone wrong.

She had no ill feelings towards Mac; she was at fault, just as much as Mac. She cared for him, but she wasn’t in love with him. She knew that for sure now.

“I’m sorry it had to end this way, Desi, but I do hope we can be friends.”, Mac said as he smiled remorsefully at her.

“Of course, Mac. I’m still your friend. Always will be, egghead.”, Desi smiled as she playfully punched him on the arm.

Desi stepped aside and opened the door to leave; suddenly she stood at the doorway and turned, “Hey Mac…go get your girl. Riley is great. Don’t fuck that up like we did, okay?”

“I won’t.”, Mac said as he watched Desi leave and close the door behind her.

As he returned to the couch, his mind raced on how he would fix this. At that moment, all he knew was that he needed to fix this, and he needed Riley.

**_An Hour later, At Zack’s Apartment…_ **

Riley sighed as she walked up to Zack’s front door. It was time to tell Zack the truth and to end what had been a beautiful 4 months with him. She hated that she had dragged him along her rollercoaster of a life. He didn’t deserve this, he deserved so much better than all of this. She rang the doorbell and willed herself to breathe. The door opened and there he stood, as handsome and as welcoming as ever. She could tell by his face he knew this was it for them. She just wished things could have been different. She never meant to hurt him.

“Riley, hey. Come in.”, Zack said gently.

Riley walked into his apartment. All the memories of the good times they’d spent here came rushing back. She swallowed down the knot in her throat. She knew that as much as she felt guilty for how everything had turned out, it was unfair on both of them, if she stayed with him knowing she wasn’t in love with him. She walked into the living room and turned on her heels to look at Zack. She took a deep breath and prepared to face the music.

“Zack, I’m so sorry about last night. I never meant for that to happen. I never meant for any of this to happen”

“I know, Riley”, Zack said quietly.

Riley sighed as she knew she had to be honest and let him know the truth, “When Mac and Desi got back together, I told myself I would move on. I wanted to move on. I didn’t want to be the girl pining over someone who was in a relationship, or who just saw me as a friend. Then I met you, and you turned my whole world upside down.”, she swallowed the tears that were rising in her throat, “You made me smile, made me laugh and you made me happy. You gave me something so special and I do truly care about you, Zack. But you deserve so much more than to be with someone who is still in love with someone else.”, Riley searched his eyes as he smiled solemnly at her.

“Riley, I appreciate the honesty - I really do. Last night was an eye opener. Seeing you two fight showed me how much your heart belongs to him. I don’t want to be a man that tries to fight for a heart that never belonged to him in the first place. I just want you to be happy and I want you to be loved. As much as it sucks, I’m lucky to have gotten to spend the best four months ever with you. That's something I won’t ever regret.”, Zac said gently as he moved to hug Riley.

Riley held onto him tight as her tears fell. She grieved for the future her and Zack would never have. Zack pulled back, held her shoulders, and looked at her, “I want you to promise me something.”

“What?” whispered Riley.

“I want you to promise me that you won’t stop fighting for what you love; that you don’t let yourself be the easy choice or second best. I saw the look on Mac’s face last night. That man is madly in love with you, but he just hasn’t realised it. I hope he does because otherwise he would lose the best thing that could ever happen to him. So, promise me.”, Zack said.

“Thank you, Zac. I promise I won’t”, Riley said in earnest.

Zack looked at her and smiled, he knew now he and Riley weren’t meant to be. He had found a life mate in her and for that he was grateful, “Good. I’ll take solace in the fact that I found a Life Mate in you. I saw first-hand what losing your soulmate does to you, that doesn’t have to be your story, Riley; and it doesn’t have to be mine.”

Zack cupped Riley’s face and captured her lips in a gentle kiss. He brought her in for a hug and made peace with letting her go. He was returning to New York soon and starting afresh but he’d carry his time with Riley with him always.

As Riley stepped back and walked to the door, she took one look back at the amazing man he was. She would never forget him and regardless of everything she was grateful to have had him in her life.

**** **_Riley’s apartment a few hours later…_ **

Riley entered her apartment drained. Tomorrow she would face Mac and tell him everything. She didn’t have the emotional strength to face him now and he hadn’t reached out to her; so, a part of her felt a little sour. She was mostly trying to gear herself up more than anything. She walked into her bedroom and took off her jacket. As she threw her it on her dressing table chair, she heard a soft thud on her carpet. She looked down and saw the gold bracelet she had worn on the Denvers op. Riley had kept it as a token of the success. She smiled as she picked it up and placed it on. It really did look beautiful just as a bracelet alone.

She stood admiring her bracelet when she heard a loud bang from the hallway. Riley froze and looked around for a weapon. She bent under her bed and got the bat she kept from the baseball game Phoenix had against the other intelligence agencies. She slowly crept out of her bedroom and into the hallway. Riley saw nothing but froze when she saw her front door open. She was certain she had shut it.

All of a sudden, she felt a sharp pain at the back of her head, and everything faded to black...

**_2 hours later…in an cold, abandoned warehouse (typical)._ **

Riley woke up groggy and disorientated. She was in a dimly lit room that smelled of metal. She could barely see but what little she could see, she noticed two small air vents at the top of the room. She was in some sort of warehouse as far as she could tell and below her, she felt concrete. Her feet were cold, whoever kidnapped her, had also taken her shoes off.

_What a Barbarian._

She tried to move but couldn’t. She had been tied up to a chair, both hands and legs. She saw a shadowy figure just across from her and she squinted as a bright light was shone directly in her face.

“Oh Ms Davis, thank you for finally joining me. I hope you’re well rested, you and I have a lot of work to do”

Riley’s blood ran cold as he moved slowly into the light. She would recognise that voice anywhere.

“Murdoc…”, whispered Riley.

“The one and only! Oh, Ms Davis it’s great to see you again. You look lovely, although puffy around the eyes.”

“Sorry, didn’t get the chance to freshen up after being knocked out and kidnapped by a psycho”, Riley hissed back at him.

Murdoc sat down on a chair across from her and crossed his legs, “Excuses, excuses.”

“Cut the crap Murdoc, what do you want? Why the hell am I here?”, Riley asked.

“Always so direct...I must say, you and Matty - I’ve missed. Well, since the pleasantries are over…let’s get to work”

“Work? What the hell are you talking about?”, she asked incredulously.

“I’m talking about how you Ms Davis are going to help me find Cassius.”

“Cassius? But why? He’s safe.” Riley replied.

“Not anymore. I was hired for a hit on MacGyver by some hippie cult leader who then wanted me to join his cult. Like an artist like me could ever be held back by such jackhammers.”, Murdoc replied.

“Hippie cult leader?”, Riley asked in confusion.

“Yes, Leland is what I believe they call him”

“Leland, as in Codex?”, Riley called out.

Murdoc shifted in his seat, “Yes, do you know them?”

Riley clenched her jaw as thought about what Leland had already put Mac through, “Something like that.”

“Well nevertheless, he took Cassius as collateral and I need to find him before that weirdo does anything he will regret”

“How do you expect me to find him? Cassius could be anywhere in the world right now”, Riley explained.

“It’s a good thing I had him chipped then”

“You chipped your own son?”, Riley asked, astonished at his cunningness.

“Riley, dear. Did you really think I would let my only son out of my sight without some sort of contingency plan?”, Murdoc asked rhetorically.

Riley had to admit; he had a point. What she didn’t understand was why go to such extreme methods for her help. She struggled in the chair she was tied to as she her wrists, legs and ankles ached.

“If you chipped him, then why do you need me?"

“Because that jackhammer blocked it’s signal. Plus, I need a hacker I can trust.”, Murdoc explained.

“How do you know it hasn’t been removed already?”

“The chip is virtually undetectable. They’ve blocked it but certainly not removed it. I just need that genius brain of yours to find him.”, Murdoc replied.

“Fine, but did you really have to kidnap me?”

“Would you have come willingly?” Murdoc countered.

Riley opened her mouth so speak but he was right, there was no way she would have come willingly.

“This Leland character wants Mac dead and Codex information he says The Phoenix possess. I quite frankly couldn’t care less. I just need to know where they’re holding Cassius, so I can enjoy killing them one by one and take him home.”, Murdoc stood up to slide a desk over to her. On it was her computer, he had certainly come prepared.

“Do you expect me to find him with my hands tied?”, Riley asked.

Murdoc sighed as he moved closer, “You have a point”

He untied her hands and as she pretended to rub her wrist as she discreetly turned on her bracelet.

“I’ve sent our friends at The Phoenix, a video informing them of your capture. Don’t say I’m not merciful! You have an hour to find Cassius.”

“And if I don’t?”, Riley probed.

Murdoc rolled his eyes, “For a genius, you’re really not understanding the power structure here.”, he motioned his head to a device under her chair. “If you fail, then I start the countdown on the bomb you’re sitting on.”, explained Murdoc.

Riley froze as she looked down to see the bomb, she had been too disorientated to notice before. This psycho was actually going to blow her up.

“I don’t want to have to kill you, Riley. You know I’m quite fond of you. You’re one of my favourite people. I’d hate to kill another friend for disappointing me. All the information I have on Cassius’s chip is on your computer. You have an hour. Find him.”, with that Murdoc left the room.

Riley hoped she had enough juice in her bracelet to send her location to the War Room through her computer. As for Cassius, she would find him. She wouldn’t allow Leland to kill another innocent person. Just like she had done for Mac, she would do her best to find and protect him. There was no guarantee Murdoc would keep her alive even if she did find Cassius. So, she just hoped Mac and the team would find her before it was too late...


	8. Something's Gotta Give.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riley is held hostage by Murdoc as he tries to save Cassius from Leland, meanwhile Mac races against time to save her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Loved writing this chapter!!I cant believe this fic is almost done!!
> 
> Thank you all for reading!!

**_Meanwhile back at the Phoenix War Room_ **

Mac sat in the middle of the War Room as he fiddled with a paperclip. He had come to the Phoenix early, in hopes of running into Riley. He wanted to call or text her but if he was honest, he was terrified. As bad as it sounded, he didn’t want to give Riley an opportunity to dodge him or shut him out. It was killing him, he wanted nothing more than to see her, hold her and tell her how he felt. He was so engrossed in his head that he didn’t hear Jack walk in. He jumped slightly when Jack spoke.

“Waiting for Riley, huh?”, Jack said as he stood at the War Room door. Mac shrugged slightly as he tossed his paperclip on the table.

“She always comes in early; I was hoping to run into her. It’s sad, I know”, Mac sighed and ran his hands through his hair. Jack shook his head at his best friend, this man was a genius, but boy was he dumb sometimes.

“It’s not sad, its earnest.”, Jack said as he moved further into the room to sit across from Mac, “You’ve got some explaining to do, man.”, Jack continued.

Mac took that as his cue to explain to Jack about his intentions for Riley. Jack may be like a brother, but he was still like a Dad to Riley. He took a deep breath and sighed heavily.

“I love her so much, Jack. I know I don’t even deserve her after how I behaved last night. But Riley has my heart, Jack; she supported me, trusted me and cared for me from the start. She believed in me, when others questioned me. I just want to love her and be there for her the way she deserves. I don’t want to be in denial anymore. I’m willing to risk my heart, I just hope I haven’t risked our friendship. She’s my everything”, Mac spilled his soul, and let himself finally vocalise what was in his heart.

Jack smiled and moved over to pat his shoulder. He definitely felt for Mac. He wanted to tell him he had nothing to worry about, but he knew it would mean so much more when he heard it from Riley.

“Mac, you tell her what you just told me and think you’ll be fine”, Jack reassured.

“You think?”, Mac asked.

“Yeah, man. You want a future with her?”

“More than anything”, Mac replied

“Then you fight for her”, Jack said with a smile.

Mac smiled and nodded. A moment later Matty and Russ came rushing through the door with Desi and Bozer behind them. They all looked troubled and worried. Mac steeled himself for bad news.

“Guys we have a problem. Murdoc just sent a video to the Phoenix servers. He’s kidnapped Riley and we have no clue where she is”, Matty said as she looked straight at Mac. Mac’s world slowed down to a screeching halt.

Riley…his Riley was in danger.

**_Back at the Abandoned Warehouse…_ **

Riley had managed to narrow down the last few locations that Cassius had been taken to. It seemed like whoever had taken Cassius was on foot essentially. They had been careful to travel by car and to use little to no electronic devices. Luckily for her, they failed to realise that most cars after a certain year had an immobiliser that you could track. She also cross-referenced Cassius’ face through CCTV cameras and was able to jump through them to get a rough sense of his tracks.

She eventually found his last known location which was two and a half hours away from where she currently was. Wherever she was. She hacked into her bracelet and boosted its signal, sending her location to the War Room. She had 30 minutes left on the ‘find Cassius’ clock when Murdoc came back into the room. She looked up into the dark eyes of the psycho as she thought of a way to stall. She had to keep him around long enough for Mac and the team to get here. From her calculations she was only 15 minutes away.

To say she was confused was an understatement. Murdoc had set this up in a way that made it too easy. She didn’t understand. He had kidnapped her but had given her all the resources she needed to set up an easy escape, he had kept her near to the Phoenix and given them a heads up. Something smelt off.

“Ms Davis, have you found him”, Murdoc said as he eyed Riley carefully.

“Yes, I have but what I don’t get is why you’ve made it so easy for me to be found?”, Riley asked suspiciously.

“Because my son’s safety comes first. I’m fully aware that you’ve sent our friends your location. I’m fully aware your bracelet is a GPS device. As I’ve said before Riley, I don’t want to kill you.”, Murdoc replied calmly.

“Tell that to the bomb I’m sitting on”, she countered.

“Merely a contingency plan.”, Murdoc replied nonchalantly.

“Well since I’ve found him and sent you his location, you can let me go.”, Riley snapped at him.

Murdoc shook head and folded his arms, “I’m sorry Ms Davis. I can’t do that. You’re my leverage. If I let you go now; I have nothing to stop The Phoenix from capturing me before I can get Cassius.”

“You won’t get away with this”, Riley muttered.

“Oh, but I think I will. The bomb you’re sitting on is triggered by a motion sensor. The second you get up from that chair, you go boom.”

“You evil bastard!”. Riley shouted.

Murdoc rolled his eyes and dragged a hand down his face in exasperation, “Come on, I haven’t even told you the rest. There are three wires at the bottom, one stops the bomb timer and the other two detonate it. But as I’m a fair man, I’ve placed an 8-digit code in the keypad at the side that will stop the bomb completely. Would an evil person do that?”

Riley closed her eyes as she swallowed the anger burning inside her, “At least tell me what the code is.”

“That’s for Angus to work out. I just hope he gets here in time”, Murdoc said as he pulled out a small device and pressed it.

Immediately the timer of the bomb Riley sat on, started. Murdoc immediately took her computer from the desk and backed out closer to the door.

“My apologies Ms. Davis, I’m sure boy scout will find a way.”, with that Murdoc disappeared into the hallway. Leaving Riley alone with the sound of the timer being her only companion.

****

****

****

**_Meanwhile…back at the War Room_ **

Mac’s heart felt like it was frozen in motion as he paced up and down the War Room. The rest of the team were analysing the video Murdoc had sent. Even now all he could see was a knocked-out Riley strapped to a chair. His blood boiled at Murdoc’s words:

“ _I want boy scout here, on his own. Any of you follow him or even tail him, then this bomb goes off and Ms. Davis here doesn’t get to come home tonight. I want one thing and one thing only. Don’t be the hero, Angus.”_

He felt like someone had gutter punched him. This morning he had come in terrified Riley might want nothing to do with him, now she may not even live. Out of nowhere, a sound pinged from the screen. Riley’s name popped up with a location; that genius woman of his found a way to get to them.

“Guys, Riley just gave us her location. We gotta to get to her ASAP”, Bozer urged

“You heard Murdoc, it has to be just me”, Mac said darkly.

“There’s no way, Mac’s going there on his own. We’ve got to figure something out. We can’t allow that psycho to hurt Riley and Mac too.”, Jack shouted.

His voice cut through Mac’s mental haze. The truth was he had to go on his own. Murdoc was highly unpredictable; he couldn’t risk Riley’s life.

“Jack, you can’t. I have to do this. We don’t have the time and I have to get Riley, I can’t risk her, Jack. Not her”, Mac said hoarsely.

It was trap, they all knew it, but he had to. The whole team: Jack, Bozer, Matty, Desi & Russ knew it deep down. He had to do this on his own. He had to get there and get his girl. No matter what, he wouldn’t let her be alone; he wouldn’t leave her.

“You bring her home in once piece. You bring yourself back in one piece. You hear me?”, Jack said as he grabbed Mac’s head and brought their foreheads together.

Mac was grateful for strength he felt from Jack. He needed it, as his heart beat out of his chest. Even the thought of losing Riley left him breathless. As Mac ran out of the War Room to save the reason his heart kept beating, he was determined to make Murdoc pay somehow, some way.

****

**_15 minutes later…at the abandoned warehouse – T – 15 minutes to save Riley_ **

Mac’s truck came to a screeching halt outside the abandoned warehouse. He was on his own here, he knew it was a trap, but he couldn’t risk Murdoc harming Riley because he tried to trick him. His main concern was Riley, and Riley alone. He slowly opened the warehouse door; the light was dim but enough to manoeuvre around. He needed to find Riley as soon as possible.

“Riles, can you hear me? Where are you?”, Mac shouted as his heart rate soared through the roof. The warehouse was massive with multiple rooms, he had to find her ASAP.

“Angus, so kind of you to join us!”, Murdoc called out. He emerged from a dark corner, just like the demon he was. Mac quickly advanced on him; hell bent on beating him to a bloody pulp for even attempting to lay a hand on Riley.

“Whoa, hold on there, boy scout. One more move and Ms. Davis goes boom. Her bomb detonator is configured to my heartbeat. Just one beat out of place and she’s gone. Don’t make me kill her, Angus.”, explained Murdoc.

Mac stopped dead in his tracks. This psycho had secured his escape by bringing him here alone and making it impossible for Mac to apprehend him. He felt sick to his stomach.

“You sick bastard, where is she?”, Mac barked as the rage coursing through made him shake.

Murdoc gave a sinister smile and pointed down the middle hallway, “Good luck Angus, I hear you’re quite the master at diffusing bombs. May the odds be in your favour.”

Murdoc slinked past Mac like a snake but as Mac started heading to Riley; Murdoc called out to him.

“Angus, as Ms Davis held up her end of the deal. I feel as though I should mine…I’m getting soft”, Murdoc sighed and turned fully towards Mac. “Please remember the day you found your heart. You may just need it.”, Murdoc smiled, turned around and disappeared through the warehouse door.

Pushing aside Murdoc’s madness, Mac wasted no time as he ran down hall calling out Riley’s name until he heard her respond with his.

Riley thought she was dreaming when she heard Mac’s voice. As it got closer, she used what was barely left of hers to alert him to her presence. Soon he burst through the door, his face drenched in fear and worry. He ran towards her to try and pick her up, but she had to put her hands out to halt him. He couldn’t come any nearer.

“No Mac, stop! The bomb is triggered by a motion sensor. If I get up off this chair, it will detonate”, Riley explained as her hoarse voice trembled with fear.

Mac’s backed away as his brain began racing on how he could diffuse the bomb. He took out his army knife and kneeled to take a look at it. He opened the outside compartment to see three wires, all of them the same colour. That bastard had made this nearly impossible. As he delved further into a panic, Riley’s voice broke through his haze.

“Mac, two of the wires make the bomb go off, only one stops the bomb. The keypad on the side has an 8-digit code combination. The code is the only guaranteed way to stop the timer. But we have no time. There’s only 10 minutes left.”, Riley said as her voice broke.

Mac refused to accept it. He punched in numerous combinations, until he pushed himself further into a panic. Riley sobbed as she grabbed his face to make him look at her.

“Mac, please stop. It’s too late.”, she cried.

“Riles, no! I just have to figure this out- “

Mac! No! Please just listen to me. We only have 10 minutes. I don’t want to spend my last minutes alive, without telling you how I feel.”, she spoke through sobs.

Mac grabbed her hands, shaking his head in denial as he tried to make Riley see sense.

“No Riley please, I can fix this.”, Mac cried.

Riley smiled sadly through her flowing tears as she looked into the eyes of her soulmate. She shook her head as she wiped his tears away. Her heart broke for him. He had lost so much already. She couldn’t let him lose his life too.

“Mac, I love you with all of my heart. Each and every day, since the moment I met you, you’ve protected me, taught me and cared for me.” Riley spoke through her tears. Mac still shook his head, distraught and broken.

Riley kissed his forehead and held his face gently in her trembling hands, “You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. You are my soulmate, the oxygen I breathe and the sun that lights my darkest of days. I want you to know, I could never love anyone the way I love you. I want you to have the world. Mac, you have to go now, please.”, Riley wept.

Mac grabbed her wrists, as he shook his head, he was going nowhere, “Riley, I’m not leaving you!”

“Mac, please; I’m begging you. Just go– “

“Riley! I’m not leaving you.”, Mac held her eyes and spoke with a conviction that told her he was going nowhere.

She squeezed her eyes shut and kissed his forehead as the sound of the timer filled the room. This was never how she imagined her life coming to an end. As Mac wrapped his arms around her shoulders, her heart broke into a million pieces. Mac cupped Riley’s face and looked into the eyes of the woman that had his heart. He had always feared dying alone but the idea of living without Riley was worse than anything else. He would never survive.

“You risked your life to protect me when I went rouge. You faced a missile, a gun in your face and a bombing just because you trusted me. If you think for a second, that I’m going to leave you or live without you then you’re wrong. I have nothing without you.”, Mac wiped away her tears as his flowed freely. If this was it, then he had to tell her how he felt too - which he was about to do when she spoke.

“I will never forget the day I met you. Not a single detail. I even remember the date. The day you took me out of prison, showed faith in me; was the day my heart was yours…”, Riley kissed his forehead and rested her forehead, against his. A moment later she felt Mac freeze and pull back from her. She looked down at him, confused.

“Mac? What? What is it?”, Riley recognised the look on Mac’s face, but she tempered her hope until his answer restored it.

“Riles, I think I know how to stop the bomb...”


	9. Just Friends.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mac races against time to save Riley, but his true challenge comes after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter right after I wrote chapter 1 of this Fanfic. so this chapter has a special place in my heart.
> 
> Hope you enjoy! Only one left!!

“Wait, Mac. What are you thinking?”, Riley asked urgently

“it’s a long shot but Murdoc said something to me out there that I originally dismissed. He said he was holding up his end of the deal. It felt like some sort of clue”

“What did he say?”

“He said: “ _Please remember the day you found your heart. You might just need it_.”, I thought he was crazy, but I think I’ve figured it out”, Mac said in realisation.

“The code?”

“Yeah, the day I found my heart. The date is the code. September 23rd, 2016. The code is 11232016.”

“The date you got me out of prison?”, Riley asked. She would have probed further into what Mac was trying to say with that, but she was in shock and it made her completely miss its meaning.

“Yes! Riles, we’ve only got 3 minutes left. I’ve got to try!”

“Do it, Mac. I trust you.”, Riley urged.

Mac entered in the code, and the timer immediately stopped - turning itself off. Riley gasped and covered her mouth in shock and relief. She had thought for sure Murdoc had killed them. But her guardian angel, the man she loved more than anything, the man that had saved her more times than she could count, had done it again.

“Oh my God, Mac! You did it!”, Riley shouted.

Mac stood up and grabbed her off of the chair and held her for dear life. His heart was racing faster than a NASCAR race and his whole body trembled, but all he cared about was the woman in his arms. The woman that was still very much alive.

Riley pulled back with tears streaming down her face. She felt drained, dizzy and disorientated, but she used the last of her strength to say what was on her heart, “Mac I’m so sorry for hiding things from you. I didn’t know I was doing it until you called me out. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the job offer, I was just so scared of upsetting you but more than anything I knew if I told you, it would make it real. You would support me, and it would just remind me that you saw me only as a friend”, Riley spoke softly.

Her speech was slurred, and Mac could see her passing out. She went limp in arms and he knew the effects of shock and what they just went through had taken its toll. He scooped her up and ran back to his truck. On the way to the hospital, he called The Phoenix. Deep down Mac knew she was just exhausted, but he couldn’t rest until she was truly safe and well.

**_2 hours later…at the hospital._ **

Mac sat beside Riley as she slept in her hospital bed. She had passed out due to dehydration, exhaustion, stress and shock. She been through a lot in 24 hours, but she was a warrior. He had been so panicked when she’d passed out but now, she slept soundly, with an IV drip to boot. Mac stroked her hands and stared at her peaceful face as Jack walked in silently with two cups of coffee.

“Mac, you should get some sleep. Riley is fine, in shock but fine”, Jack reminded him as he gave Mac a cup and sat in the chair across from Riley’s bed.

Mac sighed, shaking his head as he dragged his eyes away from Riley to look over at Jack, “I know but we were so close to being gone. She was so close to being gone, Jack. I almost lost her”, Mac didn’t expect the tears but let them flow when they came.

He was so worried about Riley’s shock that he ignored his. He had been willing to die with her. To die the way his Father and Aunt had died for him. It felt like some cruel joke, but it just reminded him how much Riley truly meant to him.

Jack moved over to Mac and pulled him up into a hug. Mac sobbed as the relief of still being here and more importantly Riley still being here finally dawned on him. Jack didn’t let go until Mac calmed and for that Mac was eternally grateful. Jack moved his chair next to Mac and they both sat in silence as they watched Riley sleep.

After a while Jack cleared his throat and looked over at Mac, “If there was any man to love Riley and have her love him back…I’m sure glad it’s you Mac.”, Jack smiled as Mac turned and gave him a sad but grateful smile.

“You knew how she felt?”, Mac asked, somehow shocked.

“Dalton knows everything. You know that already, boy wonder”, Jack smiled as Mac rolled his eyes. He laughed gently and patted Mac on the shoulder.

Mac shifted nervously and looked at Jack, “What about Zack?”

“What about him, Mac?”, Jack eyed him as he replied.

“Are they…you know…over?”, Mac asked nervously.

Jack let out a laugh. Mac was a goner, and he loved every second of it, “You won’t have to worry about him, lover boy”, Jack said with a wink that received an eye roll and a gentle laugh from Mac. Jack knew both Mac and Riley had things to clear with each-other, but he knew in his heart, that these two were meant to be.

**_Later that evening…on the way home…Mac’s home_ **

Mac racked his brain over Riley’s current state of silence. Riley had woken up and been checked over by the doctors. They had discharged her several hours later and he was currently driving them to his. He couldn’t let her out of his sight and honestly, she felt too spooked to go back to her apartment. She had been unusually quiet, not really giving much when he tried engaging with her. Now she sat in the passenger’s seat staring out the window.

He wanted to address her confession to him and more importantly to tell her how he felt. She looked so drained though, and she seemed to be avoiding having any substantial amount of conversation with him. It was driving him crazy.

“Riles, are you okay? I know it’s been a lot but you’ve barley said 20 words since you woke up”, Mac said gently as he parked up to his home.

Riley swallowed down hard; she didn’t want to have this conversation right now. Her mind was all over the place, “Mac, honestly I’m fine. Just drained.”

Riley immediately got out of his truck and walked to his door. To his credit, Mac refrained from probing further and opened his front door for her. They walked in and Riley moved over to the couch, still silent as a mouse. Mac couldn’t take it anymore he knew he shouldn’t push but it was driving him mad. He moved over to where she sat and turned to her.

“Riles, about what you said to me before we stopped the timer; I want you to know– “

“Mac it’s okay. You don’t have to let me down gently. I get it, and frankly I’m so tired. Just chalk what I said to you, down to adrenaline and almost being blown up”, Riley interjected with a sad smile.

“Wait, what?”, Mac wasn’t sure what was going on. Did she have a concussion or something?

Riley sighed and got up, “Mac, I’ve given you an out…just take it.”

She was walking away when he got up and grabbed her by the arm. He brought her in close and looked deeply into her eyes. She was lying but for the life of him, he didn’t understand why. He searched her teary eyes, trying to understand what was happening.

“Why are you lying to me?”, Mac probed.

Riley swallowed thickly and spoke, “I’m not lying, Mac. Please just drop it okay.”

“Drop it? You tell me you love me and that I’m your soulmate but now I have to drop it? Down to adrenaline? What the hell kinda lie is that Riles?”

Riley pulled her arm away and stepped back. Mac felt like his heart was being ripped out.

“The truth is Mac, I know you. You’ll wanna let me down easy. I confessed my feelings to you as I intended to. I apologised as I intended to. You haven’t said anything until now and it’s been over 12 hours. I know I was asleep for a chunk of it but still…you had the time to tell me if you felt the same. You didn’t; so, that’s all I need to know. Let’s not drag this out, I’ll be gone before Desi gets back.”, Riley said, then turned and started walking away.

“I ended things with Desi”, Mac said gently.

Riley halted and turned slightly, “I’m sorry about that, Mac.”,

She turned and continued walking away. Riley didn’t understand why she was behaving this way. She was letting her anxiety and fear speak for her. The fear that Mac didn’t feel the same and the fact he hadn’t touched on the subject until now was sending her into overdrive.

It finally dawned on Mac that Riley needed him to bare his heart out to her. She had bared her heart and soul to him and after everything they had been through, some measly ‘I love you too’ was just not going to cut it.

“Riley, please just hear me out first.”, Mac called out.

Thankfully Riley stopped walking away and turned around to face him. Even with fear and anxiety etched on her face she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever known. So, he would bare his heart and pray to God she heard him.

“Truth is Riley, I have been in love with you for a very long time. I was just too scared to face it.”, Mac started to walk up slowly like a hunter moving as though any sudden movement would scare away his prey. He walked up in front of her, desperately wanting to close the wedge that still stood between them. Riley was his world and he’d almost lost her to Murdoc. He refused to lose her to his fear too.

“I was so clouded by everything that was happening, from my Dad, Gwen, Codex to Desi - I ended up missing sight of the one person that meant more to me than anything.”, he was closer now, terrified about scaring Riley away; she looked so vulnerable and scared. He could see the fear, the apprehension, the hope and the love in her eyes; all at once. He had to fix this, he had to fix what he had broken.

She looked at him, tears forming and threatening to fall. She started shaking her head slightly, as though believing the words he said would harm her. How had messed this up so bad? How had he managed to hurt the love of his life so bad? He vowed he’d spend the rest of his days showing her, how truly he loved her. Out of nowhere, she moved forward and partly closed the remaining gap between them. A ray of hope sprang up in his heart.

“Mac, I’ve loved you for so long that I don’t know how not to love you. But I don’t want to be your rebound, the second choice or the safe choice. I can’t do that.”, Riley held back her sob and spun around. Desperately seeking a way to hide just how scared she was. She wanted nothing more than a future with Mac. A real one; one that he was choosing because he wanted it more than anything. Not because he didn’t want to be alone or his emotions were running on adrenaline from both of them almost dying.

Mac moved closer until he could feel the heat from her body. Her words cut through him like a sword. She could never be the easy choice, a rebound or second choice, but he had done a royally screwed up job of showing her that.

“Riles.”, Mac whispered.

He placed his hand on her shoulder, turning her around. Her face was stained with tears; more tears he’d never forgive himself for causing. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into him tightly. When she wrapped her arms around his neck, he thanked the heavens she didn’t pull away from him. He had to fight for her. She’d been fighting for him for so long, and it was his turn now. He placed his hand under her chin, so she could see his eyes and feel his soul when he spoke these words. He prayed she understood just how much he meant them.

“You are not a rebound. You could never be the second choice or the easy choice. You are the only choice. I’m standing here, terrified because for the first time in my life, I have my heart in my arms. You have been by my side for years - you’ve supported me through my darkest days, and I have spent every day of those years falling in love with you. You’ve chosen me every time, and not just me on the field; the guy who works out problems in his head - or tries to save the world. Every time, you’ve chosen me - the real me. The little kid that wanted his mom back more than anything. The little kid who didn’t understand why his dad didn’t want him enough to stay. The little kid that got bullied because he loved science with his whole heart. The man that falls into the hole of explaining things, that people never asked to know. The man that carries guilt around like Atlas carried earth. You saw past MacGyver and you always chose Angus. I’m choosing you Riley because the truth is, I will always choose you. I’m terrified because I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you, Riles. I may not deserve you, but I won’t give up loving you, not now, not ever. I’m not going anywhere…you are mine and I love you. I. Love. You.”

Mac held her tight to his body. He could feel her shaking in his arms. He could see the hope in her eyes, and also the doubt - but damn it, if he didn’t see the love. She loved him and he knew it, but he had to erase that doubt; he just hoped it wasn’t too late.

“You’re the only man who could ever destroy me. Please Mac…I could never survive this, if you…”, Riley couldn’t finish the sentence, the idea alone felt like a bullet to the heart.

“Riley Davis, listen to me”, Mac released her only slightly and got down on his knees. The air in Riley’s lungs stopped flowing when she looked down into his face. He was on his knees…for her. With his eyes pleading, he spoke again.

“I am so sorry for how badly I screwed up, but you have to know it’s because I need you like I need oxygen. I don’t want to just be your best friend. I want to be everything you need because you’re everything I need. I want to be your husband; I want to be the father of your children. I want to be the man you love forever because I’ll never stop loving you. You’re my future Riles, and I’ll be here loving you until my last breath. I love you. Please…believe me.”

Mac held on tight to her hands as she looked down into his tear-filled eyes. Just as he thought he was too late, she got down on her knees with him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled her in close while they both quietly sobbed into each other. Years of love, anger, confusion, jealousy and feeling lost poured into a hug. All the guilt and fear gone because now they knew they truly loved each other in every sense of the word.

Riley was the first to pull back, her tear-soaked face somehow was one of the most beautiful things he’d ever seen.

“Mac, it’s you and me now, we’re in this together. I can’t lose you, and I won’t. I love you with everything I have, and I’ll never stop. I’ll never stop loving MacGyver, but I promise you that above all else – I’ll never stop loving Angus.”, Riley replied.

Mac smiled with a happiness he hadn’t felt in so long. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her deeply. With all the love he had in his heart and all the desire he had in his blood. Before he knew it, they were kissing with their hands exploring each other. Hands craving the feel of each other like a fever pitch. He pulled away and helped her up from the floor before wrapping her in his arms again and kissing her until both their lungs cried out for air.

Resting their foreheads together and catching their breath, they shared a knowing look of love. Mac had finally found his home, his future and his purpose. He wanted to help others, save the world and make it safer but more than anything he wanted to do those things for Riley. He wanted to make her feel loved, safe and happy. She meant everything to him, and he had almost lost her, not only to Murdoc but to his foolish pride, and his fear to face the truth.

In that moment as he held his heart; the love of his life - his Riles; in his arms he vowed to do everything in his power to love, trust and protect her until the end. He vowed to be her beacon whenever she felt lost and to shoulder her burdens with love, grace and respect. He vowed to be her best friend, her lover and her biggest fan. He vowed at that very moment, to give Riley everything he had and more because he knew without a shadow of a doubt, she would do the same too.

“What about the job in New York? I still have to decide, Mac. Would you be able to handle being long distance, if I said yes to it?”, Riley asked, nervously. She knew Mac would support her if she decided to leave but could she really survive being away from Mac?

“Ms Davis, if you’ll have me; I will love and follow you to the ends of the earth”, Mac smiled as he whispered in her ear and held her tight in his arms.

For Riley, it was as if she had lived her life in black and white. Then along came Mac, bringing everything into colour. This kind, loving, funny, noble yet infuriating genius loved her just as much as she loved him. He was willing to follow her to New York; just to be with her. Her heart burst with love and happiness; she never wanted to leave this moment. This was it; it was her and Mac until the end and she couldn’t wait to live life with him.

“Oh, I’ll have you, Mr MacGyver.”, Riley whispered back.


	10. Things Will Never Be The Same Again.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s been 6 months since Mac and Riley started dating and they have never been happier. Mac surprises her with a weekend trip to a lake house to celebrate 6 months together and she feels like everything is finally right. Well…almost everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the final chapter. I love this one! This was the chapter I wrote before chapter 2. I guess I kinda pulled a 'How I Met Your Mother' here by writing the end right after the start haha!. I've really loved writing this and I just want to say thank you to everyone who read this. Whether you read one chapter or the whole thing, I'm so grateful to you for taking the time to do so! I really hope you enjoy it.
> 
> (Warning: there's a long smut scene in the middle.)

_**6 Months Later...** _

Riley ended up turning down the New York job offer. Instead, she proposed running a summer STEM program for high school girls and girls in trouble with the law. She hired some great female STEM experts who taught her students Programming, Coding, Engineering and Science. During the summer, her and Mac would help teach too and just like when they taught the scouts, they worked great as a team.

The girls on the programme would learn after school and then intern in New York the year after. She was super excited about it and Mac had been the most supportive. They had worked together to formulate the counter proposal she gave to the Pentagon. They had loved the idea and jumped at it. She got to stay in L.A with Mac and The Phoenix while also living a dream by helping girls like her change their life for the better.

For right now though, Riley’s hair blew in the wind as Mac raced down the highway. He refused to tell her where they were going but he promised her, a lake, loads of fishing, no computers and certainly no interruptions. It was like music to her ears honestly. She turned to look at Mac, they both were smiling ear to ear. That was something she found they did all the time now. It was like he knew she was watching him, as he grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

“Ms Davis, you look very happy…I love it when you look happy” Mac threw her a quick smile and a wink.

“Well, that’s thanks to you, Angus.” Riley returned the smile.

They had planned on staying at a motel on the way, but they’d left early enough to make it in one trip. Riley gasped as the lake house came into view, while Mac chuckled beside her.

“Mac, are we really staying here? This is amazing!”

“Yup! It’s all ours until Monday.” Mac parked his truck in the drive and helped Riley out. The excitement in Riley’s eyes made the weeks of planning this weekend worth it, Mac mused.

“I thought a weekend away together - just us - would be just what we needed. This, has been the best 6 months of my life and that’s all thanks to you, Riles.” Mac wrapped his arms around Riley’s waist and brought her in for a kiss. Riley responded by wrapping her arms around his neck and melting into him. Mac pulled back and his blue eyes saw right into her soul. Goosebumps took over body and all she could see was the deep love she felt for Mac reflected in his eyes. He was her world, and she was his. Just how it was always meant to be.

Mac and Riley set up in the lake house and unpacked. She was really looking forward to spending time alone with Mac. The only thing she worried about was something that had been bothering her for months now. She loved Mac, she loved him with everything she had, and she knew he loved her just the same. Problem is they had been together for 6 months and they hadn’t been intimate, yet. She didn’t want to worry but she did. It wasn’t for a lack of attraction or even sexual tension. They just could never get past a certain stage and now after 6 months – she worried if they could. She wanted to have sex with Mac, and it was slowly killing her.

Just then her world stilled. She realised she had never outrightly admitted that to herself before. She always avoided questioning that barrier to their physical intimacy.

_You want to have sex with Mac. That’s completely normal, you idiot!_

Riley laughed at herself silently. She really was overthinking this whole thing, but it was Mac, she wanted their first time to be exactly right.

_Do you want to be right or do you want to have sex?_

“I want to have sex!” Riley said aloud.

Riley immediately gasped and covered her mouth. She had just answered her silent question out loud, and Mac was currently looking at her like a deer caught in headlights.

“Riles…?” Mac asked cautiously.

She wished the ground would swallow her up as she went completely red. She would have laughed at Mac’s face if she wasn’t so mortified.

“Baby, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to…what I mean is…that wasn’t meant to come out of my mouth”, Riley rambled. To his credit, Mac was smiling softly now as he walked over to her. He wrapped her up in his arms, while Riley wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Wanna talk about it?” Mac asked softly.

Riley took a deep breath and decided it was time to face her anxiety about this. She knew she was over-thinking, but this was Mac. He was her everything, and as much as they worked together so well – professionally and personally- she was just anxious about crossing that line. What if they found themselves incompatible in that area?

_Then you both enjoy the practice and find a rhythm, you fool! Stop, self-sabotaging this, Davis. This is it for you, he’s the one and you know it already. There’s no turning back now anyway._

“Mac, you know I love you more than anything, but I worry about the fact we haven’t…you know…had sex yet. It’s been 6 months.”, Riley said nervously.

She felt so exposed, but she didn’t want to sound whiny. What if Mac wasn’t ready yet, and here she was, pushing the topic. She didn’t want to rush anything, she just wanted him in the complete sense.

“So, you do want to have sex with me?” Mac asked slowly.

“Yes, of course I do, Mac. Don’t you?” Riley’s anxiety was rising again. What if he said no, what if they would never be able to cross over that point of no return.

“Of course, I want to Riles but I don’t want you stressing out about this. I get it; we’ve been friends for so long that even though we want to, we know once we cross that line - there’s no going back.”, Mac said as he smiled down at her.

He always knew her heart even when she couldn’t express it. He knew her better than she knew herself - damn, did she love this man!

“It’s a good thing that I never want to go back…” Mac whispered seductively.

Riley’s heart started to race. The look Mac was giving her, lit her skin on fire. He held her closer and crushed her suddenly sensitive breasts hard against his chest. She gasped softly as Mac’s head lowered and his lips left trails of delicious fire down her neck.

“I’m also conscious of fact, it should happen naturally” Mac whispered in her ear and then continued his pleasurable onslaught on her neck. Riley could barely breathe, let alone focus on his words. Mac raised his head, rested his forehead on hers and smiled.

“Don’t stress Riles. I can assure you; we’ll have absolutely no problem in that department.” His slow smile threw Riley’s senses into overdrive. How she ever thought that Mac not wanting to be intimate her, was ever a possibility – she had no clue. Riley’s body was on fire even after Mac let her go to check out the lake house security system. She was left feeling like a melted puddle of hormones in the middle of their bedroom.

****

****

****

**_Later that evening after a romantic dinner date… (oh yes hunnay!)_ **

Dinner with Mac was amazing - the past 6 months had been so hectic they hadn’t had the chance to go on many ‘proper’ dates. Just seeing him in a suit and sitting across from him at a candlelit dinner had her senses in overdrive. She wanted to jump Mac the minute they got back to the lake house.

She psyched herself out again though. They’d gotten through the door and Mac had hugged her from behind, started kissing her neck, and telling her how much he loved her. She had turned around to kiss him, wanting so much to finally cross that line with him. Then, she thought about getting naked in front him. She thought about how he had never seen her in anything less than a tank top and pyjama shorts and freaked out, making an excuse about needing a shower.

Riley felt so silly, she was at the point of combustion. She needed to stop freaking out about it being perfect or even how she looked. She figured that having sex with your soulmate who started off as your colleague and best friend was a lot for someone; so, she tried not to be too hard on herself.

She stepped out of the shower, wrapped herself in a towel and took out the messy bun she put her hair in to keep it dry from the shower. She walked out of the master bathroom and into their bedroom to see Mac leaning on the dresser across from her. She was slightly startled, but he looked so hot as he leaned nonchalantly; with one leg crossed over the other. Mac smiled at her and she felt the butterflies again - Mac really was a like a drug for her, she couldn’t get enough.

“You looked so breath-taking tonight, I almost cancelled our reservation.”, Mac said huskily. He winked and let the corners of his mouth lift into a grin. Riley’s insides curled and she felt a smile form on her face.

“You looked amazing too Mac, dinner was great. It was just what we needed; alone time.”, Riley replied shyly. She was acutely aware that she currently only had a towel on.

She wanted tonight to be the night she was intimate with Mac, but she had psyched herself out. Now she was in nothing but a towel with Mac looking at her like a starved man would look at a meal and her pulse hit the roof.

“There’s something I really need right now.”, Mac replied.

“What?”, Riley asked softly.

“I need you to take that towel off.”

Riley’s blood blazed through her body, her skin set on fire and goosebumps ran down her arms. Mac’s voice alone set her heart rate through the roof; but it was the blue of his eyes, the way they devoured her, that was her undoing.

“Mac...”, she whispered breathlessly. She couldn’t remember the last time she was this turned on and he hadn’t touched her yet.

He walked over to her until he was so close; she could feel his breath caress her face. She looked up at him and he looked down at her with a deep intensity that sent shivers down her spine.

His eyes burned through hers and when his voice came out as a low, deep, almost whispered sound, it set her blood on fire, “I said… take it off.”

Everything slowed down as she let go of her towel, letting it pool at her feet. His blue eyes burned into her as he stepped back to look at her. His face of appreciation emboldening Riley in a way she had never experienced before.

“I’d really like to touch you, Riles. Can I touch you?”, Mac whispered huskily.

Mac’s voice sent Riley’s nerve endings into a hot frenzy. More than anything, she also wanted him to touch her. She nodded to his to request and waited to feel his hands on her bare skin. When he didn’t move, she looked at him in confusion.

“Riles, I need your words. I need you to tell me that I can touch you”

Riley knew exactly what Mac was doing. This genius man of hers, saw right through her silly excuse. He knew she had psyched herself out. Now he was he was taking control of the situation by reminding her that she had the control.

“I want you to touch me, Mac”, she whispered eagerly as she grinned.

She felt his arms wrap around her waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Riley was lost once his lips touched hers. As her lips parted more, and as she felt her tongue intertwine with his; she lost all anxious thoughts.

She heard herself moan and felt his arms tighten around her. Riley felt as though she were melting in his arms. The smooth stokes of his strong hands, up and down her slender back evoked a little moan from her. He pulled away, to her audible disappointment, both of them breathless and overtaken with the energy between them.

“Riley Davis, you’re the most tempting woman I’ve ever met.”, Mac whispered in her ear.

She lifted a hand; submerging it through his golden hair and wrapped her other arm around his neck. She felt his strong arms wrap tightly around her waist again and pull her closer. This time, Riley’s lips were the one to kiss Mac’s. She took control of the kiss to deepen it; their tongues engaging in dance that sent shivers down Riley’s spine.

“Well, Angus MacGyver, you seem to be very skilled in seduction as well.” Riley felt the familiar feeling at the pit of her stomach and enjoyed the moistness that began developing between her thighs.

She loved the way he made her feel; like she was in control and out of control all at the same time. Before Riley knew it, Mac reached his hands under her ass and lifted her up to him. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her to the edge of the bed; their eyes fixed solely on each-other’s face. He placed her down on the bed gently and positioned himself over her with his arms holding him up. Again, he didn’t move but instead drank in her features. He rested his forehead on hers as he gently placed kisses on her lips.

“Can I taste you?”, Mac whispered.

She heard the edge in his voice and could tell his control was slipping. That knowledge warmed her. Riley felt her breath catch in her throat as she wondered how many ways to say ‘hell yes’ she could muster. Without thinking, she nodded again, and Mac smiled down at her without moving an inch.

“Baby, I need your words. Can I taste you?”, he repeated.

Riley stroked his cheek as she bit down on her lower lip, “I want you to taste me, Mac.”

He started by leaving intoxicating kisses down her neck. His lips reached her collarbone, and she felt the tip of his tongue do the rest of the tracing. Along with that went any coherent thought she had. She thanked the heavens for his ability to get her out of her own head.

She realised the only thing that had stopped them crossing this boundary was her anxiety. Now look at her, the fact that she was in front of Mac, as naked as the day she was born - didn’t bother her at all. She was too transfixed in the sea of blue that were staring right back at her.

Her full breasts were exposed to his control, and her aroused tips stood to attention at the man she wanted to touch more than anything. Those blue eyes trailed down her body, hungrily drinking in her naked form.

Mac’s heart soared into his mouth. He had never seen someone so beautiful in his life. Her body was perfection and her every curve yearned for his attention. As Mac covered a hardened nipple with his mouth, Riley let out a gasp of pure pleasure. He caught the bud between his teeth and sucked harder until her head began to spin. She arched her back up, physically trying to get closer. She wanted more and needed more. Mac’s hand slowly traced down to squeeze her other breast, catching the nipple in between his fingers. Riley’s moan came out louder than she expected but she was too caught up to care.

“Do you want me to stop?”, Mac murmured.

“Don’t you dare stop.”

He laughed gently as he captured her lips in a kiss, “Do you want more, Riles?”, Mac rasped as he felt his control quickly dissipating.

“Mac…”, she moaned.

“I need to hear the words, baby”

“I want more”, she said breathlessly.

His hand slid down to her core and found her already dripping wet. She felt two delicious fingers enter her and she knew she was lost. His lips trailed slowly down to her belly button, then he stalled. She let out moan of disappointment when he removed his two welcomed fingers out of her.

“Riles, it’s only fair that I’m dressed for this occasion too.” his smile was slow and mischievous and fatal to her senses.

Mac started to unbutton his shirt and before Riley knew it, he was in just his boxers. The only thing she was focused on, was the V shaped muscles that directed her down to what she wanted the most. Somehow reading her mind he pulled down his boxers and now was just as naked as she was.

His slow seductive smile made heat run straight through her. He started kissing her neck again and she could feel his lips slowly tracing down her body. His tongue; hot and wet, circled around her belly button sending shivers down her spine. His hands came up under her thighs; pushing them upwards, so her legs were spread wide while he soaked up the view.

She giggled and bit her lip, sending goosebumps down Mac’s body. He latched on to her thigh; sucking and biting until he had left his mark. Her moans were becoming breathless and frantic; so, he slowly flicked the tip of his tongue on her clit and felt her shudder. Slowly he began circling her clit with his tongue; sucking and kissing until Riley was on the verge of breaking down. Mac slowly thrusted his tongue into her. He circled her entry and thrusted his tongue in deeper until Riley begged him to make love to her.

**_The Next Morning…still in bed (some grown folks business happened)_ **

Riley’s eyes fluttered open as the sun peaked through the bedroom windows. She snuggled up to the warm, hard body that she was currently resting on. Looking up she saw Mac’s beautiful face, peacefully asleep. She lightly kissed across his jaw and down his neck - smiling and giggling as he gently moaned.

His eyes fluttered open and he smiled down at her, “Good Morning, Sleepyhead.”

His morning voice - rough with sleep, was still the sexiest thing ever to her. Smiling widely, Riley sat up to kiss him gently. As Mac wrapped his arms around her and flipped her onto her back, Riley stroked his face and stared lovingly into his ocean eyes.

“Good morning, baby.”, Riley whispered.

“How did you sleep?”, Mac murmured as he traced kisses down her neck.

“Amazingly.”, Riley sighed as she tried to concentrate on anything but how good his lips felt.

“How did you sleep?”, she asked

“The best I’ve slept in a while. Because of you.”, he smiled and kissed her deeply.

Riley plunged her hands deep into his hair as she bit his lower lip. Just being around Mac gave her butterflies but as her mind flashed back to last night, her belly was filled with them all over again. It was well worth the wait, she concluded as she looked into his bright blue eyes which were warmed by the caress of the sun. Riley gently pushed him onto his back and straddled him. He laughed and tucked her hair behind her ear. She never wanted to leave this moment, but they had fishing to do…literally.

“As much as I’d love to say in this bed, we’ve got to go fishing, Mac.”

“30 minutes more, Riles. This won’t take long”, Mac whispered as he sat up and started distracting her with his lips again. As he massaged her breast and nibbled on her earlobe, Riley swore she was a second away from giving in. When she remembered how excited he’d been to take her fishing and how much she wanted to do it with him; she reluctantly pulled away.

Riley jumped up off the bed laughing, and dodging Mac’s arms, as he tried to drag her back to bed. Fully naked but not caring one bit; she strutted to the bathroom door and turned to look at him. Mac stretched out an arm as he tried to entice her back to bed.

“Angus MacGyver, you can stay in that bed or you can come join me in this shower before we go fishing”, Riley teased.

Mac shot up from the bed faster than Quicksilver. As they both laughed loudly, Riley ran into the bathroom with Mac chasing after her and closing the door to their joyous laughter.

****

****

**_Later that day…, (On their fishing trip out on the lake…very romantic.)_ **

Mac and Riley walked hand-in-hand down to the lake with their fishing gear in tow. Mac was beyond excited to fish but getting to do it with his Riles was icing on the cake. They set up at lake dock, putting down their rods, bait, snack bags and ice cooler to keep the fish in. Riley had offered to cook what they caught for dinner, using a recipe she’d learned in her cooking class. Riley cooked all the time now and Mac thanked his lucky stars for it. She was really good and somehow had taught his hopeless self some simple dishes too.

They sat at the dock and got comfortable. Mac showed Riley how apply her bait and then how to cast her rod. She had found it tricky and needed a few tries to get it down, but Mac couldn’t complain. He would stand behind her, wrap his arms around hers and show her how again. He would also kiss her neck too but that was purely for educational purposes.

“You know, I’m starting to think you’re just acting like you can’t cast that rod”, Mac whispered in her ear.

As she raised her rod to cast it, Riley laughed gently and looked up at him, “Prove it Angus.”

He hugged her tight and snuggled up to her from behind. Mac felt completely at peace and as the sun started to set, he felt like he was floating on cloud nine. After catching a few fish, they sat down to drink some beer and watch the rest of the sunset. Mac took a sip and looked over at Riley as she stared into the horizon. He watched the orange and yellow of the sky hit the red tinges of Riley’s wavy hair. His heart melted when he caught her laughing and smiling as she watched a flock of birds fly over them. It was moments like this, that he would cherish when he was old and frail.

It was days like these he would describe to their kids when they asked about their Mom. He’d tell them that they had the bravest, kindest, most self-less and loving Mom in the world. He’d tell them that she was a genius and the coolest person he had ever known.

“The last time I went fishing here was with my Dad. It’s my favourite memory of him”, Mac said gently.

Riley stroked his cheek and Mac leaned into her comforting touch. Riley smiled sadly and spoke, “I know, baby.”, she whispered.

“I’m really glad I got to make another really good memory with you, Riles.”

“I’m honoured that you shared this with me, Mac”, she said softly as she gently stroked the back of his neck.

Mac moved in closer and lifted her chin with his hand, “I love you, Riley Davis.”

Riley rubbed her nose against his gently, “And I love you, Angus MacGyver.”

As they shared a tender kiss, Mac’s fishing rod pulled on a catch. Riley laughed as he scrambled to grab the rod. Still giggling, she looked at Mac and took in the beautiful sight before her. As Mac bubbled with excitement at having his bait catch something again – Riley silently vowed to herself to do everything in her power to love, trust and protect him until the end. She vowed to be his beacon whenever he felt lost and to shoulder his burdens with love, grace and respect. She vowed to be his best friend, his lover and his biggest fan. She vowed at that very moment, to give Mac everything she had and more because she knew without a shadow of a doubt, he would do the same too.


End file.
